![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Emily-Johnson-blog-smiling-post-win-Alex-Park-sept-2024__ResizedImageWzYwMCwzNDdd.jpg\")
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By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk\u00a0<\/p>\n
Talented northern junior driver Emily Johnson is heading to Europe tonight to link up with one of France’s top stables for the next three weeks.<\/p>\n
The visit is part of a programme tentatively called the “FRENZ Connection”.<\/p>\n
No formal agreement has been confirmed as yet though it’s been proposed that this will be the first of a reciprocal arrangement between the two countries, with Kiwi drivers going there one year and their French counterparts coming here the next.<\/p>\n
“The French are very keen to expand their relationship with us,” says Waikato-based trainer Sean McCaffrey, who came up with the idea.<\/p>\n
“France is just a juggernaut when it comes to trotters – I was there once on Bastille day and they had 29 race meetings that day!”.<\/p>\n
McCaffrey’s been to France a number of times and mentioned the idea during a recent trip.<\/p>\n
“They have been fantastic and very obliging.”<\/p>\n
Emily Johnson, who works at McCaffrey’s stables in Tamahere, is the first recipient.<\/p>\n
“In some ways Emily will iron out the kinks and find out what works and what doesn’t,” says McCaffrey.<\/p>\n
The trip is being financed by a generous donor with McCaffrey hopeful that a more formal sponsorship can be sorted out for future exchanges.<\/p>\n
For the 23-year-old it will no doubt be an eye-opener.<\/p>\n
It will be her first trip outside Australasia. She will spend just on three weeks with leading trainer Marc Sassier in Arquenay, about 200 kilometres south west of Paris.<\/p>\n
“It will just be so interesting to see how a big stables like this works,” says Johnson.<\/p>\n
Johnson reined 65 winners while based in Australia before moving to New Zealand in 2024. She’s had 51 winners here since then.<\/p>\n
“She’s been told to take her driving gear so if an opportunity comes up she is ready to go,” says McCaffrey.<\/p>\n
McCaffrey says the exchange is ideal for drivers like Johnson.<\/p>\n
“We want people who are savvy and open to learning new things.”<\/p>\n
“I’m not sure what to expect but I’m sure it will be a fun experience,” says Johnson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk\u00a0 Talented northern junior driver Emily Johnson is heading to Europe tonight…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58095,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-514285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}