Tag
Brad Steele is the new CEO of the Auckland Trotting Club and has been in the job for a month. He’s charged with the challenge of getting the Club back into a strong financial position and making Alexandra Park a vibrant northern harness racing venue once again. Bruce Stewart put some questions to Steele about […]
More than 20 leading stakeholders from across the Australasian harness racing industry came together at the recent Auckland Harness Summit 2026, sending a strong message that the industry is ready to move from managing decline to planning for growth. Hosted by the Auckland Trotting Club (ATC) at Alexandra Park, the Summit brought together owners, trainers, […]
After resigning from his role as CEO of Harness Racing New Zealand in April, Australian Brad Steele will return to New Zealand to assume the role of CEO of the embattled Auckland Trotting Club. Brad Steele answered some written questions put to him by Harnesslink. Can you confirm when you officially commence the role? I’m […]
Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) Chief Executive Brad Steele will step down later this month, bringing to a close a two-year tenure widely credited with driving reform, innovation, and a clear focus on sustainability and growth. His leadership has modernised the sport, strengthened commercial alignment, and helped restore confidence across participants, stakeholders, and government. HRNZ […]
Harness racing made a successful return to the far north today with the Auckland Trotting Club hosting a meeting at Ruakaka – the first for eleven years. “They seemed to have a good crowd on course which is nice. It was a case of turning up not knowing what to expect, but it looks like […]
HRNZ CEO Brad Steele answers topical questions covering breeding numbers, Harness 5000, small fields and weekly payments for stakeholders. Why is a trial to pay stakeholders on a weekly basis taking place? HRNZ introduced weekly stakes payments to better align with how participants operate and manage cashflow, while also modernising our financial processes. Our participants […]
Betting figures released by Entain during the week indicate that wagering wise, racing is heading in the right direction. For the month of July in comparison to last year, Greyhound Racing was up by 9.7% ($8.7 million), Thoroughbred Racing 13.3% ($26.7 million) and Harness Racing 25.9% ($11.0 million). Seven more harness racing meetings were held […]
Five months into a new season, Harness Racing New Zealand CEO Brad Steele responds to questions put to him by Bruce Stewart. The Aces series won’t be held this year. Are there going to be end of season races for the two year olds to replace the series? This is very much of high priority […]
Out and About – What I’m Hearing There are a few recurring themes as I travel around the country talking to as many people in our sport as possible. Some are not fit for publication but two questions I do get asked regularly are: Does Entain decide stakes for particular races? And why persist with […]
Harness Racing New Zealand Chief Executive Brad Steele says there is still room for optimism despite the fall in breeding numbers for the 2025 season. Latest figures show that a total of 1552 individual mares have been bred to, a drop of 12 per cent on last year. “Breeding numbers have been under pressure over […]
When Brad Steele became CEO of Harness Racing New Zealand six months ago, he hit the ground running, taking a road trip and speaking to clubs and racing personel throughout the country to hear about the issues within the industry and to share his vision for the future of the sport. Significant changes have already […]
The “future” is a recurring theme in today’s column. This is just the second of my regular correspondence to keep you updated of things that have happened in our sport in recent months and on the whole the last quarter of the year has been very positive. Cup week has come and gone and now […]
THE ASCENT and THE VELOCITY have been unveiled as the names for Addington Raceway’s first ever slot races on Show Day, on Friday November 15. Featuring the best three-year-old trotters and pacers, the two races will each be worth $500,000, and highlight what will now be known as the Show Day Twilight Races. “We are […]
Harness Racing New Zealand CEO, Brad Steele, incurred a few social media scoffs after the unveiling of The Future Starts Now roadshow when in his maiden address to New Zealand stakeholders, the Queenslander stated that he envisioned a future that would address the exodus of horses crossing the ditch. The line that seemed to attract […]
After announcing major stakes increases and a host of new races, the Harness Racing New Zealand “The Future Starts Now” roadshow has come to an end after four weeks spent travelling to the main centres, talking through the changes, announcing additional concepts and placing the plan out there ready to implement. “In the main it’s […]
The Future Starts Now roadshow was in Invercargill last night and Brad Steele the new CEO for Harness Racing New Zealand announced a number of stakes increases for the Southern Region. The Southern Belle Speed Series Final raced over 1609 metres at Winton in April has been elevated to Group Three status and will now […]
Australian Brad Steele has recently been appointed as the new CEO for Harness Racing New Zealand. Having worked in a variety of senior roles in the banking and insurance industries, Steele has also had a lifelong interest and involvement in harness racing. He is the current Chairman of Albion Park Harness Racing Club, he was […]
Harness Racing New Zealand has appointed Brad Steele as its new Chief Executive, effective 1 July 2024. Steele has for the past six years worked in a variety of senior roles for RACQ, the fastest growing bank in Queensland and before that held regional and lending management roles in the insurance and banking group Suncorp […]
Inline with last week’s announcement from Racing Queensland, all harness racing meetings programmed at Albion Park will not proceed until further notice. With flood waters still inundating parts of the venue, the Albion Park facilities have yet to be fully assessed, making it impossible to predict a date for the return of racing at The […]
The inaugural 2021 TAB Constellations carnival has set a new benchmark for Queensland harness racing, with record betting turnover, sell-out crowds and an all-star line-up of participants from both sides of the Tasman. A combined $18.5 million was wagered across the carnival, a 54 per cent increase from the last winter carnival held in 2019. […]
