Lyell Creek (foaled 30 November 1993) is one of New Zealand's best Standardbred trotters. Also known as "Creek The Freak", he had 113 starts for 56 wins, 15 seconds and 11 thirds, including an Australasian record 15 Group One wins. His fastest mile rate was 1.52.4 and he won $2,950,224 in stake money, which is an Australasian record for a trotter. Lyell Creek won the 2000 Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Grand Final at Moonee Valley in Melbourne, taking home $295,000 for his efforts.Lyell Creek at the Inter Dominions He also won New Zealand's two biggest trotting races, the Dominion Handicap and the Rowe Cup, both on three occasions. In the 1999-00 season Lyell Creek won the Dominion Handicap, Inter Dominion Trotting Championship and Rowe Cup becoming the first horse to win the three races in the same season.Premier Stables - Tim Butt Racing , Retrieved 7 February 2016 At the Inter Dominion carnival in Melbourne he won four Group One races including the Australasian Trotters Championship, Dullard Cup and Millennium Mile where he produced a remarkable winning performance after being trapped wide on the track. It was his sixteenth consecutive win.2000 Trotters Series, Harness Racing Australia, Retrieved 7 February 2016 He won 20 consecutive races until being beaten in the New Zealand Trotting Free For All on Show Day in 2000.A trotting hero gets feet wet when the sun hides, New Zealand Herald, 17 November 2000, Retrieved 7 February 2016 The defeat came one start after he had broken the New Zealand record for a trotting mile at Ashburton by winning in 1:55.6. Before racing in the Northern Hemisphere he won his second Rowe CupIdol's Special Send Off, Sunday Star Times, 1 April 2001 and the Bill Collins Mile in Melbourne.Creek flows away, Herald Sun, 9 April 2001
On 1 October 2000 he became the first horse to win consecutive Banks Peninsula Trotting Cups. In the 2000 edition he started off 30 metres but won by lengths over Jay Bee Ar with the same distance back to One Kenny.
He also raced in Europe and campaigned extensively in North America and raced against some of the best trotters in the world including Sweden's Victory Tilly.Lyell Creeks lags as record blitzed, New Zealand Herald, 4 August 2002, Retrieved 7 February 2016 Highlights of his North American racing included a win in the Su Mac Lad, a close second in the Titan Cup and a second in the Classic Series FinalLyell Creek to face Plesac again after world record, New Zealand Herald, 10 June 2002 and in Europe he finished third in the Copenhagen Cup. He started in the Elitloppet in 2001 but did not advance to the final won by Varenne.Lyell Creek looks at second against awesome Italian, New Zealand Herald, 30 July 2001, Retrieved 7 February 2016
A notable achievement of Lyell Creek was that he won 34 of his 37 starts before his extensive Northern Hemisphere campaign, with his only defeats being his debut (over a year before his second start), when pulled-up at his fourth start and when running third in the 2000 NZ Trotting Free-For-All.
After returning to New Zealand Lyell Creek won his third Rowe Cup winning by 7 3/4 lengths.Lyell Creek wins by country mile, New Zealand Herald, 30 April 2004, Retrieved 7 February 2016 Then aged 11 he won the New Zealand Trotting Free For All at Addington in November 2004 setting a national record for 2600 metresLyell still reign supreme, The Press, 13 November 2014 and the Dominion Handicap.A night up the creeks, The Press, 20 November 2015 He last raced in 2005.Lyell Creek farewell feature, www.harnesslink.com
See also Harness racing in New Zealand Easton Light Petite Evander Take A Moment
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