Josh Dickie is well known in Australian harness racing circles for his successful hit-and-run missions with Kiwi horses during years gone by.

And while he boasts just 15 Aussie driving wins, amazingly five of those are at Group 1 level.

The New Zealand native partnered Speeding Spur to a memorable Great Southern Star success in 2016 among three Australian elite-level wins, with Kratos also triumphant in the 2019 Breeders Crown 3YO Trotting Colts and Geldings Final.

And his latest Group 1 success, aboard David Aiken-trained Hes A Hammer in March’s Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic 3YO Trotting Colts and Geldings Final, came shortly after making the move to Victoria with partner Sammy Kilgour.

With the property they were training from in South Auckland set to be placed on the market, Dickie and Kilgour packed up and left home during late 2021 to pursue life across the Tasman. They’ve settled at Kilgour’s property in Toolern Vale - just a short drive from the state’s premier track at Tabcorp Park Melton - and are working hard to establish their training business.

>> READ MORE: Group 1 Kiwi reinsman Josh Dickie set for Victorian move

"It was a pretty hard decision to make, but we thought that if we just back ourselves and give it a crack, home is always there and we can go back whenever we like,” Dickie said.

"We want to give it 110 per cent and try really hard and do well here in Victoria."

While he hasn’t been overloaded with opportunities just yet, Dickie is keen to gather as many freelance drives as possible while also training the team with Kilgour.

"It's very hard to break into the scene here. There's top quality drivers here and they are very well respected,” he said.

"I'm willing to just chip away at it and hopefully the opportunities can come, but we are more than willing to travel if need be and go if we are ever required somewhere.

"It's something I've always loved and enjoyed, the driving. It was something we had a lot of luck with back in New Zealand. We had a few winners and managed to win some good races back at home.”

Harness Racing Victoria’s Tim O’Connor visited Dickie at the property in Toolern Vale last week and the full interview can be viewed below.