Arna Donnelly
It’s fair to say Arna was always destined for a career in Harness Racing being the daughter of prominent horse breaker Brent Donnelly.
Arna has held her Public Trainer's licence since 2004 however, it wasn’t until 2012 that the fully fledged training operation of ADHR commenced.
When Arna made the decision to dedicate her future to full time training she knew the road ahead would be tough. Little did she know there were two special horses waiting in the wings that would put her on the map and how aptly named they were – Ideal Success (9 NZ wins) and Wingsonhai (7 NZ wins).
Over the last 10 plus years the stable has grown in stature with Arna’s blue and white colours becoming more recognisable on the racetrack. Season upon season the winners have increased which has resulted in new owners coming on board.
Arna has her Open Drivers licence and has driven winners on both sides of the Tasman - (162 New Zealand) and (23 Australia). These days she prefers to concentrate on the training aspect and leave the driving to those who are out there week in week out.
Angela Bedwell
Ange spent 25 years in the corporate world before joining our operation on a full-time basis.
Like the rest of us, Ange grew up in racing. Six years ago she decided it was time to turn her hobby into a career and move from the office to the paddock.
When Ange isn't at the barn, she's making sure that the day to day administration of the business is kept up to date.
You may remember her as a part owner of Rowe Cup winner Merinai.
Ayumi Shibuya
Ayumi also known as “Aunty” is an integral part of our team. She ensures our day-to-day operation runs without a hitch.
Ayumi is our key ground staff person who wears many hats which includes, gearing the horses up, washing them down, overseeing all morning treatments then getting them to the paddock.
Virginia (Ginny) Abbott
Horses have always been a part of Ginny's life right from the early days at Pony Club.
As a teenager she worked for successful local trainer John Langdon and later on John Dickie.
Ginny then ventured further afield to the States and ended up staying there for 33 years. 25 of these years were spent working for Ross Croghan, who is known for being ranked among the all-time leaders in training wins at The Meadowlands.
In 2017 Ginny returned to New Zealand to be closer to family. Her love of horses continued but this time it was working with Thoroughbreds, before finding her way back into a Harness Racing Stable.
Kate Coppins
Our latest stable employee was always destined to be involved in Harness Racing given her family background.
Kate's grandmother Jill (Coppins), has held a trainer's licence since 1999 and along with Kate's father Phillip, still train a horse or two. Through this involvement, Kate developed a love for the industry.
Kate was granted her junior driver licence in August 2024 and within 3 months she's won twice on President Flynntin.
We're very fortunate that Kate comes to us with plenty of experience through her family, as well as local horseman Todd Mitchell.
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