Bits and Bridles

Open class pacer Tact McLeod (Sweet Lou) was back winning last week at the harness racing trials at Ashburton.

He last raced in March of last year, finishing third behind Don Hugo and Leap To Fame in the Miracle Mile.

His last start New Zealand was the G1 NZ Pacing FFA when in finished an unlucky fifth.

“He’ll go for a break now and we’ll have to wait until August to get a race for him. He’ll stay here, go back on the water walker then straight back into it. He won’t be out for too long because we don’t want him to get big and heavy. It’s more of a chance to give the leg time to heal. He’s looking good and is about 35 kg’s heavier than his racing weight,” trainer Mark Jones said.

Cantab Hall trotting sire On A Steak produced his first New Zealand qualifier last week when La Venture got his ticket for Woodend Beach trainer Michael Purdon.

On A Streak has fifteen two year olds, two yearlings and twenty seven foals in New Zealand, while in Australia he has left one winner from just five starters. He has 64 foals on the ground in Australia.

La Venture was bought for $25,000 by Purdon at the 2025 NZB Standardbred Yearlings Sale. She’s out of the eight win Quaker Jet mare La Serena.

La Venture’s third dam Kahu Creek (Armbro Del) won five races and left good pacers Harnetts Creek (13), Cullens Creek (14) and trotting filly Lough Neagh.

On A Streak’s chilled semen is available at Wai Eyre Farm in New Zealand and either through Haras des Trotteurs or Yabby Dam Farms in Australia.

Quality gelding Secret Agent Man (Sweet Lou) is back in work for Branxholme trainer Nathan Williamson.

Owned by Mick Boots, the five year old last started in the Macca Lodge South of the Waitaki at Cup Week last year.

He’s won four of his ten starts.

The forty one heats are done and dusted and the leading qualifiers have been found, for the $100,000 Hydroflow NZ Country Cup Championship next Friday at Addington.

The leading qualifiers are It’s Tough, Always Dreaming, Rough And Ready, Bruntwood Brigade, Franco Sinatra, Dreams Are Free and Smoke On The Water.

The final field will be made up of sixteen starters who will race over 3200 metres.

Trotting mare Empire City (Volstead) has found it hard to recapture the form she was in as a three year old.

At that age she won the G3 Northern Oaks, G2 IRT Sires’ Stakes Three Year Old Trotting Championship and the G2 Macca Lodge Sires’ Stakes Classique.

Since her stellar two and three year old seasons, Empire City has struggled in the higher grade rating races and in ten starts as a four year old, she was winless.

In nine starts this season she’s won once; the G3 Southern Lights at Ascot Park in January.

“She’s going to have a couple of months off in Auckland. She’ll have one more prep into the spring and if she comes up fine she’ll race. If she doesn’t, she’ll look at becoming a broodmare. She’s been a very good mare, so we don’t want to over-race when she’s out of form,” trainer Phil Williamson said.

Tomorrow night the two year fillies will race in the $60,000 G2 Bionic Chance Bracelet at Addington.

As a two year old Bionic Chance trained by Alister Kerslake won seven races in her fourteen start season. Her wins including the 1986 New Zealand Golden Slipper Stakes at Waimate, New Zealand Kindergarten Stakes, Welcome Stakes, Cheviot Two Year Old Fillies Stakes and the New Zealand Sires Stakes Two Year Old Final. She ran out of the money just once as a juvenile and many of her races were against the males.

In total, Bionic Chance won eighteen races. Patrick O’Reilly drove her to win nine times, Mike DeFilippi eight and Kerslake once.

She was named 1985/1986 Two Year Old Pacing Filly of the Year and 1987/1988 Four Year Old Pacing Mare of the Year.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink