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The Woodend training partnership of Greg and Ben Hope has five runners at Addington tonight. They step out with two runners in Race Two; debutant Just For Today (Charlton) and Queensland Spirit (Majestic Son). JUST FOR TODAY Three year old filly Just For Today has had a number of trials and workouts and has won […]
Muscle Mountain (Muscle Hill), one of the greatest trotters of the modern era, has run his last race. “He’s been unbelievable and I’ll be forever thankful for what he’s done for me. It’s bloody sad to be honest. It’s one of those things when you think ‘don’t be sad it’s the end, just be happy […]
Ben Hope says Muscle Mountain (Muscle Hill) is ready to give harness racing punters what they want tonight and the way they want it too. The big boy returns after six weeks away from the races in the $40,000 Continental Summer Cup Trot at Addington, a race he has won three times before. There is […]
Ben Hope has a mountain to climb on Tuesday, but there is business to handle first at Oamaru on Thursday. After going desperately close in the past, Hope will again combine with Muscle Mountain in the Group 1 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot at Addington. Hope and father Greg will balance putting the finishing touches on […]
Muscle Mountain (Muscle Hill) reached remarkable heights this afternoon when he won his fourth Ashburton Trotters Sprint. That sort of record is unheard of in modern day harness racing and is testimony to the horse’s ability and management. “He’s just been a super horse for a long time and testament to Mum (Nina) and Dad […]
Ben Hope admits he knows a lot more about one of his three-year-old trotters than the other one heading to Addington tonight. But he still thinks they can both win. Hope and father Greg train Habibti Pat (R6, No.7) who resumes in the $60,000 Macca Lodge NZ Sires’ Stakes Classique for the trotting girls tonight […]
A hat-trick of harness racing wins at Rangiora yesterday continued a great start to the father-son training partnership of Greg and Ben Hope. They have now won seven races since going into partnership on April 1, and finished a close second in the Group 1 Rowe Cup with Mr Love behind Bet N Win at […]
Ben Hope who now trains in partnership with his father Greg, recorded his first black type harness racing win when Muscle Mountain (Muscle Hill) took out the $60,000 Group Two Lone Star Alexandra Park Lyell Creek Stakes in Auckland last night. “I can’t take too much credit to be fair. Mum and Dad have been […]
Ben Hope has a shot at one of the greatest first training wins of any partnership in racing history. The 25-year-old officially goes into a training partnership with his father Greg today, taking over from his mother Nina who is taking her name off the harness racing stable paperwork even though she will still be […]
Midnight Dash (Muscle Hill) gets his good luck charm back at Addington tonight. But oddly that good luck charm, harness racing driver Ben Hope, is not only the driver who has won on him the most but beaten him plenty of times too. Midnight Dash stands out in the feature trot, the $21,000 Norwood Farm […]
Two open class pacers – Macandrew Aviator (Panspacificflight) and The Big Lebowski (Mach Three) have returned to the south. After campaigning in Canterbury for Stephen Boyd, Macandrew Aviator is now in the care of Ascot Park trainer Jeremy Douglas. The eight year old last started in the Hannon Memorial in September, finishing third behind Republican […]
Last Sunday at the Waikouaiti harness racing meeting Greg Hope achieved a major milestone reached by just a few when he became a member of the elite trainers 1000 winners club. “It’s a bit of a relief that we got there. It was one thing I’ve always wanted to do. We’re both thrilled to have […]
Two horses with impeccable records on the grass took out the harness racing features at the Waikouaiti meeting at Oamaru today. Driven by Ben Hope, Homebush Lad (Mach Three) trained by Greg and Nina Hope, got a late run up the passing lane to win the $20,000 Temuka Transport Waikouaiti Pacers Cup. The eleven year […]
On his first visit to the south Muscle Mountain (Muscle Hill) delivered, impressively winning the $50,000 Group Three Brendan Franks Farrier David Moss Stakes at the Invercargill Harness Racing Club meeting today. Starting off 30 metres, driver Ben Hope soon had the giant trotter in stride, but some way off the pace. Inside the last […]
Co-trainer Greg Hope will be pleased that having owned Krystal Delight (Bettor’s Delight) for just six weeks with co-owner George Hill, she won for them on Wednesday at the Rangiora Harness Racing meeting. Krystal Delight got back, and inside the last 800 was last and under a hold. Driver Ben Hope had to bring her […]
Driver Ben Hope will be a driver to follow at this afternoon’s Rangiora harness racing meeting. Hope will combine with five runners, all trained by his parents Greg and Nina Hope. “On paper it looks like a nice book. Hopefully we have a bit of luck on our side, and a few of them have […]
Harness racing punters will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Don’t Stop Dreaming (Bettor’s Delight) when he returns to Addington tomorrow to start his tilt at the IRT New Zealand Cup in just over three weeks time. The Mark and Nathan Purdon trained four year old has had two trials since last […]
In tomorrow night’s $40,000 G3 Dancinginthedark M (USA) Canterbury Park Trotting Cup, Oscar Bonavena (Majestic Son) could become the first harness racing horse to win the race three times. Trained by Mark and Nathan Purdon, the eight year old entire resumed at Addington last week where he got back and trotted home nicely for fifth, […]
Mr Love (Love You) produced the performance of the day at the Motukarara harness racing meeting today (Sep. 22). Driver Ben Hope got the five year old away well, settling three back on the inside before Eurostyle came around and pushed him back one spot. When the favourite Kyvalley Hotspur came around and took the […]
Woodend Beach harness racing trainers, Greg and Nina Hope combined for a second consecutive Group Two Anzac Cup with a dominant victory by Muscle Mountain (Muscle Hill) in tonight’s G2 $53,700 trotting feature at Alexandra Park. The training partnership had won the race last year with a surprise victory for Eurokash (Love You), with Muscle […]
While the harness racing connections of the Australian pacers may have been left rueing a gold old dose of the ‘visitors draws’ at the barrier reveal for Cambridge Raceway’s Night of Champions, the same couldn’t be said for their trotting counterparts. With the Brent Lilley trained ex-pat kiwi Queen Elida being the exception as the […]
Easter Monday will see the final harness racing meeting until the Spring for the Banks Peninsula Trotting Club, which will draw the curtain on a cracking six months of grass track racing with a 10-race programme beginning at 12:25 pm. Having secured his share of the chocolates at Addington on Easter Saturday, an in-form Ben […]
Aged harness racing pacer Homebush Lad (Mach Three) seems to grow another leg on grass. His win today in the $20,000 Temuka Transport Waikouaiti Pacers Cup at Oamaru was his thirteenth on the grass and his fifteenth career win. “When he’s on song there’s probably no better grass track horse around. He’s a ten year […]
Anna’s Boy (Majestic Son) came with a late charge up the inside to win the Caltex Durban Chief Westport Trotters Cup at Patterson Park harness racing track today (Dec. 28). The five year old trained by Greg and Nina Hope and driven by their son Ben, got up to beat Tu Tangata by a neck […]
