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Spy Major (Sky Major) recorded one of the fastest last halves ever posted on the Oamaru track when he won impressively yesterday on debut. Driver Sam Thornley took the Daniel Reardon trained gelding straight the top. He dominated the sectionals and the three year old went down to the line to win easily by two […]
In-form harness racing driver Sam Thornley looks to have at least two, maybe three, winning chances among his six drives at Addington on Wednesday. Ben From Accounts (Race 2 – $1.70) and Hungry Bronnie (Race 5 – $1.90) both opened as short-priced favourites while Don’t Tell Jenny is a $4.20 second pick in Race 6. […]
Aspiring Beauty (Royal Aspirations) gave West Melton trainer Michael Cunningham his first winner since Ares (Pay Me Christian) won at Alexandra Park in July 2015. Handled by Sam Thornley, Aspiring Beauty began well and lead before handing up to Ellagater Al. Turning in, Thornley hooked Aspiring Beauty away from the inside running line and she […]
In his first year as an open driver Sam Thornley is on some sort of winning streak right now. The 24-year-old has driven 20 harness racing winners since June 19, and had at least one winner every week for coming up 10 weeks, his latest being with Kotare Argent at Rangiora last Sunday. It’s a […]
West Melton trainer Ken Barron bookended the card at Addington last night with two sons of Always B Miki, both driven by Blair Orange. Ringleader won the first race easily despite starting off the unruly mark. “He caused a false start last week which is unusual for him because he’s never done a thing wrong […]
Sam Thornley is both satisfied and surprised and the two emotions meet in the same race at Addington tonight. The satisfaction comes from his numbers in his first season as an open harness racing driver, his 33 wins so far putting him well on track for a 50 or even 60-win plus season and a […]
With a win and a third at Addington last night, co-trainer Steve Clarke had his best day at the races in 36 years. Clarke, who trains in partnership with daughter Hayley Stewart, got the night off to a promising start with Big Al finishing third in Race 2, the Syncroflex Ha Complete Trot and then […]
Canterbury trainer-driver Sam Thornley has several each-way chances at Methven today for the Hororata meeting at Mt Harding racecourse. Thornley has nine drives in total, six of which are offering each-way odds under $10. The first of those comes in Race 2, the Peter Craig Memorial Trot over 2400m, where Neil William ($5.50FF) lines up […]
West Melton trainer-driver Sam Thornley is looking for a few more things to go his way today when he lines up two runners on day two of the Westport harness racing meeting. His runners Captain Publisher and Son E both ran well without threatening like they could have on the first day and Thornley believes […]
Irwell trainers Peter and Mitchell Robertson clocked up 866 kms in the past four days, carting just one horse. But Fear Gogh’s (Vincent) win today at Oamaru proved it was well worth the effort. The mare raced at Kaikoura on Sunday but broke a spreader and was pulled out of the race. “She’d only run […]
Elton J’s (Always B Miki) win at Oamaru was fitting for the Blue September harness racing campaign and a great thrill for the horse’s breeder Lester Paisley. Elton J was driven by Blue September driver Sam Thornley, one of eleven drivers wearing Blue September colours to raise funds for and increase awareness of prostate cancer. […]
Veteran trainer Fred Fletcher and junior reinsman Sam Thornley combined to win last night’s Darren DeFilippi Memorial at Addington with Royal Gypsy (Royal Aspirations). After a perfect start Thornley made full use of Royal Gypsy’s handicap advantage and took her straight to the top and stayed out of trouble. While some of the opposition made […]
Although the winners keep coming for West Melton trainer Ken Barron, he freely admits his training days are coming to an end. Barron has been involved in harness racing for close on four decades, training close to seven hundred and fifty horses and driving over a thousand winners. He began his working life as an […]
Templeton trainer Jeremy Pearson trained his first harness racing winner yesterday when Coba Charged (Lather Up) took out the Wouldn’t Be Here Without Ted & Di Enright pace, with Sam Thornley in the sulky. “It’s bloody brilliant,” said Pearson. It was Pearson’s eleventh race as a trainer, and only the second this season. It was […]
The battle to represent New Zealand at July’s Australasian Young Drivers Championship (AYDC) in Brisbane is hotting up. Three of the four places in the team are cut and dried, with Wilson House, Carter Dalgety and Sam Thornley all seemingly assured of making the flight. They will go as the leading South Island driver, the […]
Buffy Northstain (Majestic Son) kept Sam Thornley’s Junior Drivers Premiership hopes alive when she won the Ward and Sinclair Limited Trot at Gore today. Trained by Bruce Negus, the six year old mare got back in the running and stormed home late to beat Tinkerbelle. The win was Buffy Northstain’s twelfth and puts Thornley on […]
When veteran trotter Aveross Majesty (Majestic Son) won at Oamaru recently for trainer Denis O’Connell, the win took the horse’s stake earnings to over the $100,000 mark. The eight year old gelding qualified at Ashburton as a four year old for Andrew Faulks and had seven starts for his stable before O’Connell took over. Aveross […]
Kiwi harness racing driver Sam Thornley had the perfect finale in clinching the Australasian Young Drivers’ Championships (AYDC) in Sydney last night. Driving in the first race on Inter Dominion Finals night at Menangle, Thornley teamed up with top Kiwi pacer Tact McLeod (Sweet Lou) in the ninth and final heat of the championships and […]
Sam Thornley continues to fly the Kiwi flag at the Australasian Young Drivers Championships in New South Wales. There was just one heat last night, the fifth overall, at Penrith with Thornley finishing fourth with Memphis Fury. That gives him 50 points overall. He had an eight point lead leading into last night’s heat. That […]
Kiwi harness racing representative Sam Thornley now leads the Australasian Young Drivers Championship after a brilliant effort at Bathurst in New South Wales last night. The Canterbury-based reinsman had a second and a win to go to 43 points after four heats of the championships, eight points clear of his closest challenger Victoria’s Ewa Justice. […]
The Kiwi challenge to win the Australasian Young Drivers Championships (AYDC) starts at Menangle in Sydney tomorrow (Tuesday). Crystal Hackett (above), Sam Thornley (below) and Kerryn Tomlinson will compete against Australia’s top harness racing talent over nine heats, with the opening two heats both over a mile, at 5.12pm and 6.22pm. All three will debut […]
Veteran Leeston horseman Len Moseley doesn’t train many horses these days, but his latest recruit Taumutu Lad (Downbytheseaside) may have a few more wins in him judging from the way he won at the Timaru harness racing meeting on Saturday. The three year old gelding was slow off the gate, settling second last on the […]
When Swayzee won his second New Zealand Cup on Tuesday it made his two New Zealand harness racing owners very proud. Lester Drake and his good friend Neville Jackson who live in the Hawkes Bay largely fly under the radar, with trainer Jason Grimson, major owner Mick Boots and driver Cam Hart sharing the limelight. […]
The River Boy (Creatine) came south with harness racing junior driver Sam Thornley on a mission to get a free win on a junior driver concession. After running second at Invercargill two weeks ago the five year old went one better today, impressively winning the Baynes Family Handicap Trot at Gore. “He’s improved from his […]
