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Moving interstate as a teenager to chase more harness racing opportunities in the sulky was always going to be a gamble for Declan Murphy. But two-and-a-half years after leaving his Victorian home near Ballarat for New South Wales, the 22-year-old freelance reinsman is increasingly convinced he made the right call. Murphy has established himself as […]
New South Wales reinsman Blake Medlyn is just one win away from a milestone that seemed a long way off when the young motor mechanic swapped the workshop for a full-time career in harness racing. The 24-year-old, based at Canowindra in the central west, sits on 99 career victories after landing winners at Wagga and […]
As a teenager, Cooper Griffiths was a highly competitive tennis player who worked his way up the rankings – now the young New South Welshman is showing a deft touch in a very different sporting arena. Now devoted to harness racing, Hunter Valley-based Griffiths is enjoying a breakout season in the sulky, with 31 winners […]
Eight weeks ago, well-liked Kyabram harness racing trainer and equine therapist Kristy Butler got out of bed at 6.30 in the morning and, in an instant, life changed completely. The 41-year-old suffered a stroke, caused by three bleeds at the back of her brain, beginning a journey which has already required her to learn to […]
Not too many racehorses take it upon themselves to swim across a river – and even fewer return from four years in the harness racing wilderness to win a race. But seven-year-old mare Double Joey (Roll With Joe) knows her own mind and has never been one to follow the conventional path. Bred to pace, […]
The maiden win of four-year-old pacer Typhoon (Art Major) at Ballarat (July 27) was anything but just another harness racing success. Instead, it marked the culmination of nearly two years of painstaking rehabilitation to give a special horse one last chance. For Victorian horseman Tyrone Abela and the team at Balliang-based Evolution Lodge, the victory […]
Six wins have made it another highly successful Tasmanian campaign for Shepparton harness racing horseman Craig Turnbull – but the biggest target is still to come. Turnbull’s stable completed a winning treble at Hobart on Sunday night (July 26) to double the tally for the trip, with daughter Abbey flying across to partner the team’s […]
Most 11-year-old pacers are long since enjoying retirement – but not Bulletproof Boy, who is preparing for another crack at some of Australasian harness racing’s biggest races. And if anyone is enjoying the ride, it’s popular Cranbourne trainer Scott Ewen. The ever-optimistic horseman is counting down to the return of his beloved veteran pacer Bulletproof […]
For Queensland horsewomen Ashleigh and Holly Chalmers, the past week has delivered the kind of harness racing memories that will be talked about at family gatherings for years to come. Within the space of just two days, 16-year-old Holly celebrated her first driving win for her boss Graham Dwyer, before backing it up by delivering […]
For nearly 50 years, Victorian hobby trainer Eddie Tappe has quietly pursued harness racing, working only a handful of horses at a time and “not in a pink fit” expecting the sport would one day carry him to its biggest stage. On Saturday night (July 18) at Albion Park, the horseman will experience the thrill […]
For more than two years, former Victorian harness racing reinswoman Shannon O’Sullivan barely went near a horse. The talented driver had notched up 149 wins before stepping away in 2024 for backpacking adventures in the northern hemisphere, motivated by the chance to discover more about herself away from the sport that had shaped her life. […]
Great Western harness racing driver and trainer Kerryn Mannining with 30 year-old horse Allbenz. Manning purchased Allbenz for $500. Manning’s training establishment at Great Western is named Allbenz Park. (Photograph Paul Carracher, The Weekly Advertiser)Long before she became one of Australian harness racing’s greatest reinswomen, Kerryn Manning was just a teenage girl with big dreams, […]
Most harness racing horses buddy up with dozens of stablemates during their racing careers – but not Victorian square gaiters Against The Bridle and At The Distance. The two six-year-old geldings have been lifelong companions, sharing the same paddock almost every day since they were born just 11 days apart in October 2019. If one […]
Reigning Inter Dominion trotting champion Arcee Phoenix (Trixton) has safely arrived in Queensland after a two-day road trip ahead of another crack at the prestigious harness racing series. Trainer-driver Chris Svanosio was relieved to have the long haul behind him, but pleased with how his team has handled the journey. “They’ve all handled it very […]
South Australian harness racing trainer Trent Hoare celebrated a career-best night at Port Pirie on Saturday, but the significance of the results extended far beyond the winner’s circle. The young horseman prepared two winners, recorded the first training trifecta of his career, won his grandfather’s memorial race and remarkably saw all five of his runners […]
After six years away from the races, northwest Victorian harness racing hobby trainer Ron Irving joked he’d almost forgotten which way he had to go to get to Mildura last Friday! But that certainly wasn’t a problem for his inexperienced five-year-old mare Winshemay (Auckland Reactor), who looked every bit the professional in scoring an impressive […]
The road to another Inter Dominion harness racing campaign has been confirmed for classy Victorian trotter Parisian Artiste (Love You). The talented eight-year-old took another important step in his return to racing with a close third in a strong Shepparton trial on Thursday night – and trainer Alex Ashwood has declared he will line up […]
Biggest upgrade in four decades signals bright future for Bendigo Bendigo Harness Racing Club is set for the biggest infrastructure transformation since the 1980s, with almost $3 million worth of projects to modernise the heart of one of Victoria’s busiest racing and training centres. A $1.8 million LED lighting and technology upgrade and a $1.1 […]
Shepparton harness racing trainer-driver and breeder Charlene Gusman freely admits she never set out to become a serious breeder. But one mare changed everything. Bonnie broodmare She’s Norma Jeane (Art Major) produced a remarkable recent double at Kilmore when her latest winner, three-year-old Rom Baro (Sweet Lou), and six-year-old mare Clives Girl (Bettors Delight) scored […]
Australia’s annual Pacing for Pink campaign has once again showcased the industry’s remarkable ability to unite behind an important cause, with sponsored drivers recording 743 wins in pink pants across Australia during May. The nationwide effort has helped raise vital funds and awareness for the McGrath Foundation, with clubs, sponsors, drivers and supporters once again embracing the campaign in support of […]
Popular Ararat harness racing horseman Michael Bellman is trying not to get too far ahead of himself. But as exciting trotter Mecarno (Tactical Landing) prepares to return to racing at Melton this Saturday night (June 6), Bellman admits it is becoming increasingly difficult not to dream about a shot at some of the country’s richest […]
What began as a spur-of-the-moment decision to buy a yearling from the couch at home is quickly turning into a harness racing fairytale for Victoria’s Barton family. The next chapter unfolds this Saturday night (May 30) when exciting youngster Smack Bang Bart (Rock N Roll Heaven) lines up in the $200,000 Alabar Farms Nutrien Classic […]
From a small community fundraiser at Cobram to one of the biggest awareness campaigns on the Australian harness racing calendar, Pacing for Pink has grown into a remarkable nationwide movement driven by community spirit. Founded in 2011 by a group including passionate harness racing supporter Marg Watson, the initiative has once again united clubs, trainers, […]
Well-known trainer-driver Robert “Ginger” Gleeson has earned the bragging rights at his Victorian harness racing stable lately – and he’s making the most of them! The jovial horseman has been basking in the afterglow of an impressive Ballarat victory last week (May 14) with six-year-old trotter Nuclear Attitude (Kvintet Avenger). And the first person to […]
