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An event to support popular harness racing couple Brooke and Robbie Close is being organised for Christchurch later this month. Brooke needs a kidney transplant and husband Robbie will be her donor, with the operation set down for November. To help them out a “Keeping Them Close” quiz night will be held at Spectators Bar, […]
After building a consistent form line, Tee Ball (Captaintreacherous) got the job done last night at Addington when he easily won the Garrards Horse and Hound Pace. From a mid-row draw, driver Robbie Close got Tee Ball away well and he was driven through to take the lead before setting up a solid pace. At […]
The Matt Purvis trained pacer Smoke On The Water (Art Major) is in the best form of his life and his win today in the Donegal House Marlborough Pacers Cup was his fourth in a row. “They keep giving him massive handicaps and we haven’t struck a dry track yet. It’s always been wet and […]
Ashburton harness racing trainer Wendy Stevenson takes three good each-way chances to Phar Lap Raceway in Timaru for their summer twilight meeting this afternoon. In Race 1, the Brosnan Transport Passing Lane Mobile Pace over 2050 metres Gotta Lather Up ($10.00FF) will be looking for a more economical run after having a couple of torrid […]
Robbie Close is crediting a change in approach to his latest run of success. The harness racing driver, known as Goose, opened the year with a driving double at Rangiora yesterday, following a very successful 2025 that saw him win 69 races and top $1m in stakes for the first time. But there were some […]
Andrew Stuart and Robbie Close were the kings of the giant killers at Addington on Friday. The trainer and driver combined to win two races at a best fixed odds double price of 275-1 as Moonlite Blood and Here Comes Marty downed their more favoured rivals to give Stuart a hard to come by Friday […]
Rangiora horseman Andrew Stuart honoured his good friend and mentor Murray Brown at Addington today when Moonlite Blood (Art Major) won the Remembering Murray Brown Mobile Pace. Brown passed away last Tuesday and a large crowd including Stuart, attended his funeral at Ascot Park Raceway in Invercargill yesterday. Brown trained 551 winners and was Southland’s […]
The Regan Todd trained Betterthancash (Art Major) is proving to be a great harness money maker for his connections. His win in the $25,000 Hunter Family Handicap at Wyndham yesterday was his fifth in just nineteen starts and took his earnings to close to $70,000. Driver Robbie Close got the four year old away well […]
Canterbury harness racing driver Robbie Close handled the Regan Todd trained Betterthancash (Art Major) perfectly and won the thick end of the $18,000 stake in today’s Night ‘N Day/Tip Top Ice Cream Autumn Cup at Ascot Park. Always Ticking ensured a steady tempo early. When Wag Star came looking for the top, Always Ticking got […]
The Regan Todd trained Lakelsa (Captaintreacherous) graduated into the harness racing big time tonight, when in just her fifteenth start she took out the $100,000 Group One Fahy Fence Hire New Zealand Breeders Stakes at Addington. It was a nervous watch for most, as Princess Meritaten took the passing lane for the run home and […]
Wyndham based harness racing brothers and owners Bruce and Al Sinclair are having the time of their lives and the ride continued last night when their mare Lakelsa (Captaintreacherous) trained by Regan Todd, won the Group Two Garrards ‘Premier Mares’ Championship Mobile Pace. “As Regan said, she only really started serious work when he took […]
For a young harness racing trainer, it doesn’t get much better then achieving a G1 runner in any event. But when you are deeply entrenched in the melting pot of the Canterbury harness racing community, to mark that milestone on New Zealand Trotting Cup Day would have to be right at the top of the […]
A lot of ducking and diving took place on the front line at the beginning of the Group Two Alabar Kaikoura Cup today and the Regan Todd trained harness racing pacer Mo’unga (Bettors Delight) was one of the benefactors. From barrier four Kango cut across a number of horses on his outside, affecting Merlin and […]
“Loved every minute of it,” was Robbie Close’s summation of his first ever skydive after he jumped from 18,000 feet in Auckland earlier this week. Close and fellow harness racing drivers Blair Orange and Jonny Cox, who are all Blue September ambassadors, did the jump on Monday to help raise awareness about the campaign. A […]
“He’s always had the motor and the legs hadn’t caught up but they’re starting to do that now,” driver Robbie Close told Nigel Armstrong from Harness Racing Unhinged after Tactical Bid (Tactical Landing) won at Addington tonight. TACTICAL BID REPLAY Trained at Woodend Beach by Regan Todd, Tactical Bid was passed in at the 2022 […]
She’s booted a few drivers out of the cart and left southern harness racing trainer Brad Morris out of action with a smashed knee. But Lakelsa’s (Captaintreacherous) kung fu days appear to over and at Addington yesterday she won her second race from just four starts. Race driver Robbie Close settled Lakelsa second last from […]
Watching Mo’unga carve up the opposition is nothing new for Cantabrians who for the last decade witnessed their prodigal fly half dominate club and international rugby. But now his namesake is doing the same in the harness racing ranks with the Regan Todd trained pacer announcing himself with a statement win in the Rangiora Winter […]
A lack of recent standing start racing isn’t a concern for the camp behind the mightily consistent Cheezel (Betterthancheddar) ahead of Friday night’s Addington harness racing meeting. The Regan Todd trained pacer is handicapped to be one of the horses to beat when she steps out in race 8, the 2600m feature pace of the […]
