Client Spotlight - Lex Williams

Lex Williams has had one of the most amazing journeys as a harness racing owner and breeder.

He and his late wife Heather formed One Over Lodge, following the huge success of their champion trotter One Over Kenny, who took them to Group One glory on both sides of the Tasman.

The legendary trotting mare won 32 races and over one million dollars in prize money, racing and winning from age two to nine-years-old.

She won 17 Group and Listed races, including two Rowe Cups, and was crowned Three-Year-Old and Aged Trotting Mare of the Year during her star studded career.

But it would not be until later in life that Lex and Heather would dive into the harness racing industry, for the former Breeders of the Year the dream all started with a trip to Forbury Park on a date night.

Lex recalls the first time he asked Heather out, and reminisces with humour about how much of a novice Heather was when it came to racing.

“I remember the first date we ever went on, I asked Heather if she’d like to go to the trots with me the following night. She just looked at me and said, what’s the trots?” Lex laughed.

“So our first date was at Forbury Park. Quite fitting really.”

“I had always gone as a kid to Forbury Park with my Dad, as he was mad keen on it. He used to get us kids to try and eavesdrop on certain punters to see what they were backing.”

“So that first night Heather came along with me, my Dad was there and he asked her to do the same. She successfully passed on the info, and the horse won and paid quite a bit too. So Dad gave her a cut off it, and she thought that was marvellous, she was hooked from then on in.”

“On the way home I said to her, one day I want to own a racehorse. Little did we know the journey we’d go on once we did.”

But it would be some time before Lex and Heather would venture into ownership. With busy lives on the farm and managing stock and also raising a family taking focus.

“I was based in Laurence at the time, I was born there and we had a farm there. Heather was from Miller’s Flat.”

“After we were married we had ten years farming in Laurence, then moved to Morven, near Waimate, in later years we also ran the movie theatre in Oamaru too.”

After getting to a stage in life and having the revenue streams to be able to support horse ownership, Lex and Heather decided the time was right to now realise the dream and head to the yearling sales to buy a horse.

What was to follow in the next two years purchasing is truly a remarkable feat.

“The first ever horse we bought was Fleet’s Pocket. She wasn’t great on the track, but being a farm and stud farmer with livestock I had researched what I wanted in a mare, we always knew we were going to breed from her.

“She’s had 19 foals and never missed. 15 of them were winners, and they’ve won over 200 races. She’s just been an amazing mare.”

“The next year I went to sales and wanted a trotter, and we bought One Over Kenny – pretty amazing when you look back at those first two we ever bought.”

Racing One Over Kenny brought the couple memories they could only have ever dreamed of.

“You can’t just describe the enjoyment we got out of her racing. You knew every time she lined up we had a chance of winning because she was so good. We didn’t ever miss a race.”

“Although early on she did have a habit of doing things wrong at times. I remember her first race as a three-year-old, Phil (Williamson) had a huge wrap on her and brought her to Timaru for a race.”

“She was a bugger for breaking in those early days, and I remember she broke and lost about 100m or so. And I was gutted, after the big wrap on her and she went and broke. But Phil then caught the field, looped them and just left them for dead!”

“He came back in and said, bugger, I had to show them how good she really is today,” Lex laughed.

One Over Kenny proved to not only be a star on the track, but in the broodmare paddock as well.

Her first foal One Over Da Moon was via embryo transfer, and he won 22 races, winner of the Group One Harness Jewels and voted Two-Year-Old Trotter of the Year. He sired 15 individual winners at stud.

One Over Da Moon

One Over Kenny’s record of producing winners is simply exceptional with: One Over All (25 wins), Ultimate Stride (16 wins), One Over Dover (5 wins), One Over Da Stars (5 wins), One Over Da Skye (5 wins), One Over Da Son (6 wins), One Over Da Line (8 wins to date), Golden Solitaire (1 win).

Lex continues to breed from One Over Da Rainbow, an unraced En Solitaire daughter of One Over Kenny, and One Over Da Skye and One Over Da Stars.

Not to be forgotten, Fleets Pocket was also a wonderful producer as a broodmare on the pacing front.

She’s left Flying Pocketlands (7 wins), Mighty Flying Thomas (24 wins, including the Listed Lewis Final in Perth), Mighty Flying Mac (14 wins), Mighty Flying Major (10 wins), Flying Mrs Williams (2 wins), Mighty Flying Deal (5 wins), Mighty Flying Rocker (4 wins), Mighty Flying Art (5 wins), Lumen Caeli (4 wins), Mighty Flying Supastar (2 wins), Mighty Flying Lou (3 wins), Flying McPocket (6 wins), Flying Miss Mac (1 win) and Mighty Flying Miki (1 win to date).

The breeding line continued with Flying Heather’s One and Flying Mrs Williams (later purchased by Alabar Stud), the latter producing Flying Mister Ideal (7 wins), Flying Even Bettor (winner Kindergarten Stakes), Demon Blue (6 wins), Flying Ace (2 wins to date), and Hughes To Me and You Fly With Me (1 win each).

They have also bred One Apollo (by One Over Da Moon) who won 11 races in NZ and Australia and a Group winner of the Southern Lights at Ascot Park.

Cracker Hill won 7 races, including the Group Three Hambletonian Classic and One Muscle Hill a winner of 14 races including the Listed Yearling Sales 2YO Trotting Final.

“I just get so much enjoyment watching them race, even the ones I sell or the fillies I sell and then see people breeding from them, it’s so rewarding.” Lex said.

It’s been a breeding venture of epic proportions for Lex, who found it hard to label one horse above another as a favourite.

But one moment does stand out for him in particular.

“My highlight as a breeder was probably winning the Holmfield with One Over Da Moon, it was a race One Over Kenny won herself so to go over with her son and win that was just so special.”

“He was Heather’s favourite, so it was nice to see him at stud too and carry on that legacy for her.”

One Over Da Moon

Whilst selling at the yearling sales has been an option in the past that Lex has taken to, he decided he would keep some of his own stock to race with others.

“Last year I did something a bit different and decided instead of selling at the sales to keep my young ones and syndicate them,” Lex explained.

“The syndicates are mainly made up of people I know, it’s a great way to share the experience with friends and enjoy the horses in that way.”

“We have some really nice ones coming up, a Classic Connection and an On A Streak with Matty Williamson, one horse with the Whites and one with Mark Jones. We are excited about them coming through.”

“Matty really likes both of those trotters, and I really like the On A Streak filly. She is very smart and improving all the time, and were looking forward to how they both progress.”

Lex currently has Mighty Flying Miki with Mark Jones, who has had one win to date.

Matty Williamson trains the On A Streak two-year-old filly out of Majestic Rollon, Majestic Streak and also Classic Skye, by Classic Connection out of One Over Da Skye who has had two starts to date.

Beautiful and Bold is a three-year-old filly by Bold Eagle out of Oneamy Vici and is trained by Brent and Tim White.

“I am excited to have those horses coming up, every single one of them looks like they have a chance of making it,” Lex said.

Lex now days is based in East Taieri near Dunedin, and still has Fleet’s Pocket and One Over Kenny at home with him.

“The old girls are still here, and they look great. I just enjoy having them with me and around the place. They’ve given me a lot of joy over the years.”

“You wouldn’t believe they are 24 and 25 now looking at them. You wouldn’t believe how good Goldie looks, she looks like she could have another foal.”

Lex and Fleet's Pocket

Lex’s association with Wai Eyre Farm started in earnest, with the odd mare or two staying at the farm.

But it was when looking for a home for his stallion that cemented a long and satisfying working relationship between Lex and the farm.

“I was at another stud and they didn’t want to stand One Over Da Moon. And I had a couple of mares at Wai Eyre, so when I asked Darryl about standing him he was more than happy to give him a go.”

“So that was enough for me to move all my mares there, I backed them and I can’t fault the service we get.”

“Nothing is a problem and they do a great job with them. I know they are being taken care of well and the communication is great.”

“I have to take my hat off to Darryl for what he’s been doing for breeders, he’s really shaking things up and leading the way. It’s great to see. He’s making others tow the line.”

And whilst One Over Da Moon did a great job at stud with limited numbers, the decision was made to take him back to Otago for a quieter less conventional stallion life.

“It was hard for us having a Kiwi bred stallion at stud, he did a great job with the numbers he got. Now he’s at a mates farm in Ida Valley and is running with mares serving them naturally. He got 12 mares this year, so he’ll still have some foals coming in future.”

Heather Williams sadly passed away aged 69 in November 2020.

She was a dearly loved member of the harness racing community, and will be honoured at Addington in two weeks with the Group Three Yabby Dam Farms Heather Williams Memorial Trot on May 22.

“Breeding horses is the best part of this industry I believe. But in the next couple of years I’ll look at winding back the breeding and just enjoy the young horses I’ve got coming through.”

“I passed the 80 mark last year, so it’s time to just sit back a bit now.”

It hasn’t been the first time that Lex has attempted to step away from breeding, but he had a special reason to carry on.

“Before Heather passed away we were scaling back the breeding numbers. But once she was gone I thought, what the hell am I going to do with my time now?”

“So I got back into it in a big way, it’s kept me busy and been a great way to keep Heather’s memory alive too. She just loved the horses so much.”

“The horses have given me something to focus on and enjoy in this part of life, and it’s just the best thing to be a part of.”

For Lex and Heather it was all written in Da Stars, Da Moon and Da Skye - it’s amazing what one date at the trots can lead to.