Former pacer Aint Fakin new gait

By Jordan Gerrans

Mudgeeraba horseman Chris Frisby is thinking outside of the square – gait – in a bid to continue the career of talented standardbred He Aint Fakin. 

Back in early 2021 as a three-year-old pacer, He Aint Fakin won the Simpson Memorial race at Group 2 level at Menangle. 

All these years on and after accumulating 13 total career victories, veteran trainer Frisby is starting again with his gelding.

He Aint Fakin is set to switch gaits from racing as a pacer to competing as a trotter and incredibly, he will do so in New Zealand.

While it is fairly rare for a harness racehorse to change gait during their career, it is even more unusual to see them do so while changing countries and heading from Australia to NZ. 

Trotters racing in New Zealand and being purchased to race in Australia happens commonly but it does not happen going back the other way very often. 

“Every time I go to gallop him at home, he always trots,” Frisby said.

“Even if you do get him to gallop away, as soon as you ease onto him – he flies into a trot anyway.

“Then he will trot most of the way. On this little track of mine, he trots all the way.”

While the multiple Group 1-winning Frisby says there was still pacing wins left in his gelding in the Sunshine State, he believes sending him to NZ as a trotter is a better option than racing at a higher level in Queensland.

The seven-year-old gelding has been sent to renowned conditioner of trotters Phil Williamson in NZ.

He flew out on Sunday and has landed at the Oamaru-based barn of Williamson.

Before he headed across the ditch, He Aint Fakin trialed as a trotter against pacers late last month at Albion Park with premier local reinsman Nathan Dawson in the seat. 

He was beaten by more than 50 metres by Shannon Price’s star Sure Thing Captain but the team behind the pacer-turned-trotter saw enough to decide to press on with the new venture.

Despite there being a big margin between the winner and He Aint Fakin in the trial, he did post a smart individual time as a trotter. 

“I took him there that day to see if he would trot,” Frisby said.

“I didn’t change anything or do anything at all with him to get him to trot instead of pace. I hope he goes well over there.

“The way he feels trotting and that at home, when you ask him to go – he puts in. Hopefully he can do a job for the owners.”

Following the trial, He Aint Fakin had one more run as a pacer, finishing third at Albion Park over 1660 metres last Tuesday.

Frisby knows Williamson from when his former stable star Our Uncle Sam raced at the highest level and the respected Kiwi horseman was keen to take on the challenge. 

"I'm really looking forward to it actually," Williamson said.

"Chris said the horse was finding it difficult in the higher grades. He's got to race Leap To Fame and co over there. And, he had shown an inclination to trot so wondered if he could send him over.

"He went great in the trial. It was a mobile trot and he is still a work in progress so we'll just how it goes."

Williamson is regarded as one of the great trainers of trotters with over 800 career successes on his resume so the former Queensland pacer couldn’t have landed at a better location.

The biggest benefit of He Aint Fakin shifting to New Zealand is that he will begin his career there as a maiden in the trotting ranks.

"His first test will be the standing start. And, he has to be faultless to get his ticket," Williamson said.

"We think it's worth a try."

While it is rare to see a standardbred change gaits mid-career, it isn’t completely unprecedented. 

Mister Zion completed a rare double – Group 1 wins as a pacer and a trotter – when he took out the Australasian Trotting Championship in 2013.

There have been other examples of the switch over the decades, as well. 

He Aint Fakin has had a strong 2025 before jetting away for his new task, winning on four occasions while also being placed seven times from 18 tries.

“He was a good horse in the early days, but he always had something wrong with him, we would tip him out for a spell and then bring him back all the time,” Frisby said.

“He has been a lovely horse to do anything with. He is one of those horses that is just easy to have around.”

The Frisby camp were in form earlier this week when Well Said Nugget won at the Monday evening Albion Park program while stablemate Freelance Dancer ran into third. 

The trainer has two starters on the Tuesday program from AP, with both tackling the two-year-old event.