Sacred Mountain and Andre Poutama have Cyclone Lucky Linda well covered as they race past to win on Christmas Eve. Angelique Bridson/Race Images.
11 January 2024 – 8.30pm
Breaking News: Sacred Mountain wins the group three Flying Stakes Mobile Trot tonight at Cambridge Raceway with trainer Nicky Chilcott in the sulky.
Good Local Media has been following the six-year-old bay mare’s progress since early December when we joined Chilcott for an early-morning session at her stables next to the Raceway.
There have been downs with Sacred Mountain – known in the stables as Milly – and now ups.
See: Winning with cast offs – the intriguing story about harness racing’s winningest woman – Nicky Chilcott and how we predicted she would not give up.
Ulcer causes Milly’s malaise
10 January 2024 – The mystery of Milly’s recent bad behaviour has been solved; it was an ulcer that was making her grumpy around the stables and positively devilish at the races.
Milly, who races as Sacred Mountain and is trained by Nicky Chilcott in Cambridge, took out the Cambridge Xmas Handicap Trot by one and a quarter lengths on Christmas Eve at the Raceway in the hands of driver Andre Poutama.
And Chilcott, who was in the sulky at Auckland’s Alexandra Park the week before when the trotter threw her out on the start line, had the best view finishing in fourth on KD Royalty.
A suggestion from the vet after that starting line behaviour got her into trotting’s bad books finally saw Milly return to her normal self. Matamata vet Barbara Hunter recommended ulcer medication and the trotter was a different horse on Christmas Eve giving Chilcott an early festive gift after weeks of worry.
The good news continued on New Year’s Eve on Milly’s return to Alexandra Park when in her last race as a five-year-old she and Chilcott came third in a 2700m group three race.
It took Sacred Mountain’s career tally to nine wins, 16 placings and $121,132 in stakes.
Chilcott’s 2023 season training tally finished on 25 wins – the same as the previous season – and 41 placings from 198 starts with earnings of $299,488. In the sulky, she had 15 wins and 25 placings and earnings of $189,489.
Trainer Nicky Chilcott in the stables with Milly who’s been misbehaving. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
