Wilson House takes out NZ Junior Drivers Championship
Wilson House already had a Junior Drivers Premiership and more than 200 career wins to his name. Now he can add his first New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship.
House claimed the 2026 McMillan Equine Feeds New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship after winning three of the seven heats across Alexandra Park and Ashburton.
He went into Sunday’s final four heats with a two-point lead, but the championship was far from settled.
Harrison Orange briefly moved one point ahead after winning Heat 5 before House responded when it mattered most.
Going into the seventh and final heat, House needed a strong result to secure the title. He did more than that, winning with the Peter and Mitchell Robertson-trained Heaven to finish the series on 79 points.
“It was pretty good, and it managed to work out well,” House said.
“I looked over and saw the favourite outside of me, and we managed to hold them out up the straight. The horse went terrific, and the Robertsons have done a great job with him.”
House also won a heat with Majestic Monkey at Ashburton and finished the championship with three wins from seven drives.
Emily Johnson made a late charge to finish second on 63 points, with Harrison Orange third on 62 and defending champion Carter Dalgety fourth on 60.
House was quick to acknowledge that some favourable draws had helped his cause.
“I had the best draws behind the gate throughout the series. I only had one that drew the second row. I never drew wide.”
“And though they weren’t the best horses in the field, I managed to get the right runs with them.”
It is another milestone in what has been a rapid rise through the junior driving ranks.
House drove nine winners in 2022, followed by 39 in 2023 and 62 in 2024. Last year he took another big step, driving 94 winners to claim the 2025 New Zealand Junior Drivers Premiership, three wins clear of Carter Dalgety.
He also brought up his 200th career win during the season and recorded his first black-type victory.
The Premiership and Championship might sound similar, but they reward two different things. The Premiership is decided by wins across the full racing season, while the Junior Drivers Championship is a short series where selected drivers compete across a number of heats.
House now has both.
Racing has always been part of life for the Canterbury driver. His father Michael is a trainer, while his mother Michelle comes from a galloping family.
But working in racing wasn’t always the definite plan.
House had been preparing to head to Massey University before deciding the opportunity to pursue a career in racing was too good to pass up.
That decision has worked out pretty well so far.
And there is already another target on the horizon.
The Australasian Young Drivers Championship will be held in New Zealand this November, beginning at Cambridge Raceway on November 4 before heats at Alexandra Park and Ashburton, and concluding on NZ Trotting Cup Day at Addington on November 10.
“That’s my next target,” House said.
“It’ll be great to drive in that series. I’m looking forward to that, especially with heats on Cup Day.”