Where Are They Now: Bettor Cover Lover

From an overlooked $15,000 yearling to one of the richest and most admired mares ever bred in New Zealand, Bettor Cover Lover carved her name into harness racing history with a mix of class, courage, and charisma.

Some horses come and go. Others leave a mark so deep that a decade on, they’re still spoken of with a mix of awe and affection. Bettor Cover Lover was one of those rare mares — a towering juvenile talent who grew into one of the richest and most courageous pacing mares to grace our tracks.

Bred in New Zealand by Dennis Bennett and Linda Joyce and sold through the 2009 Christchurch Yearling Sales, she was catalogued as Lot 136 and fell under the radar for most. But when West Australian veterinarian Dr Trevor Lindsay and his wife Colleen saw her, they saw potential where others saw risk. They took her home under their Karnup Racing Pty Ltd banner for a modest $15,000 NZD — around $11,000 AUD at the time.

“She was a great big gawky filly with a huge head — no one wanted her,” laughs Trevor. “Mango always said she’d kicked the good one — that’s the sort of thing he’d come up with.”

That “big ugly one,” as she was first described, turned into one of the most lethal fillies of her generation. Entrusted to the care of Brent Mangos, and later co-trained with Hayden Cullen, Bettor Cover Lover exploded onto the scene as a two-year-old, winning the NZ Harness Jewels 2YO Diamond, the NZ Sales 2YO Graduate (SI), and the NZ Sires Stakes 2YO Fillies Final — all in her freshman season. She was crowned New Zealand 2YO Filly Pacer of the Year and recorded a lifetime best of 1:55.0 (1700 m).

Trevor still chuckles at the replay of her very first win. “She galloped early and dropped 90 metres — any further and she’d have been disqualified — then caught the field up and still won the heat. It’s the best race you’ll ever see for a two-year-old filly.”

From there, the big bay barely put a foot wrong. Her 3YO campaign included victory in the NZ Yearling Sales Series 3YO Final and the G1 Victorian Oaks, where she outstayed her great rival Carabella. In 2012, she added the NZ Breeders Stakes and G1 Queen of Hearts titles, before returning in 2013 to win the NZ Harness Jewels 5YO Diamond and another NZ Breeders Stakes for good measure. She retired with 19 wins, 8 seconds, and 6 thirds from 39 starts — earning $1,061,534 in stakes.
Her CV sparkles with elite company: 10 Group 1 victories, 5 Group 2 wins, a mile rate of 1:53.8, and the titles of both NZ 2YO Filly of the Year and NZ Aged Mare of the Year. Yet behind the numbers lies a story that meant even more to those who owned her.

“Every time she raced in a Group One, we got on a plane and went to watch,” says Trevor. “We met so many good Kiwi people through her — it was the best time of our lives.”

Those memories came at a price, though. After her Victorian Oaks triumph, Bettor Cover Lover suffered a freak loading accident returning home, slicing into her coffin joint. Many thought it would end her career, but she came back 12 months later and won the G1 Queen of Hearts at her very first start back — without a trial. It was a performance that epitomised her heart.

“First up, no trials — straight out of the pool. It was pretty good going from the little man,” says Trevor, referencing Mangos’ patient handling.

Her racing days behind her, the Lindsays turned to breeding. Like many top racemares, Bettor Cover Lover’s broodmare career has been equal parts hope and heartbreak.

Her first foal, Major Cover Lover (by Art Major) never raced but remains on the farm. Her second, Bettor Getta Lover (by Rock N Roll Heaven), was a tough gelding who won 6 races and $39,000. Then came tragedy — a foal lost to joint ill and subsequent renal failure. The couple have persevered through multiple misses and slips, but have also bred a few that show promise: Recover Lover (by Rock N Roll Heaven) earned $110,674 from 99 starts, and the Sweet Lou gelding Sugar Covered also showed ability before injury curtailed his rise.

“She’s a shy breeder — we’ve had our ups and downs. She’s probably got a hundred grand in her, but it’s the horse lover in you that keeps trying,” Trevor says with a laugh.

The Lindsays have kept faith, retaining two daughters from her later matings — a Captain Crunch filly, and a Downbytheseaside filly who Trevor says might just have the right spark. “She stands good, moves good, and has a bit more up-and-go than some of the others. We might just keep her and race her ourselves.”

It’s a statement that sums up the family’s love for the sport. Trevor and Colleen didn’t just own Bettor Cover Lover; they lived every furlong with her. A veterinarian of 40 years, Trevor even scrubbed in on the mare’s post-injury surgery himself. “I actually put the scope into her joint that day — it was a sad one, but we wanted to give her every chance.”

As for what she owes them? “Nothing at all, mate — best time of our lives.”
It’s a sentiment that every breeder and owner can relate to. The wins and trophies fade, but the shared moments — the phone calls, the travel, the thrill of seeing your colours flash home first — stay forever.

Now 17, Bettor Cover Lover remains in Western Australia under the watchful eye of the Lindsays. She slipped to Pebble Beach last season, but Trevor hints they might try again. Whether or not she leaves another headline horse, her place in New Zealand harness racing folklore is secure.

She was a mare that carried courage as her calling card, a reminder of the rich trans-Tasman connection that has long defined our breeding landscape. In Trevor’s words: “We’ve bred a lot of horses, but she was the best we’ll ever have — and probably the most fun we’ll ever have.”

Bettor Cover Lover