A New Zealand horsewoman has stunned racing fans with her courage and care for her horse after winning a race at Alexandra Park on Friday night. 

South Auckland harness racing driver Crystal Hackett had just won Race 8 driving two-year-old pacer Buddy Guy, when the inexperienced horse shied and became fractious when returning to the winner’s circle. 

Hackett was tipped from the sulky and Buddy Guy attempted to take off across the Alexandra Park infield, but Hackett refused to let go of the reins, knowing that would leave the young pacer to run free and possibly endanger himself, other horses or even escape from the racetrack. 

Hackett was left on the ground behind Buddy Guy being dragged across the grass, through puddles and even an access pathway before Buddy Guy eventually stopped and was caught unharmed. 

Hackett returned to the stabling area, her driving pants stained by grass and mud but still smiling. 

She was examined by the ambulance staff on track and found to have sustained no injuries so was cleared to drive in the last race, which she promptly won driving Maro Mackendon for her parents and trainers Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett. 

Harness racing drivers are trained to hold on to horses if they are pushed or fall out of the sulky as to try and stop the horse and keep it from harm but few hold on as long or as publicly as Hackett did on Friday night. 

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.