Contributor
After a couple of below par performances Penelope Lane (Volstead) bounced back into winning form in the Group Three The Dark Horse at Ascot Park today. The win made up for her disappointing run in The Jasmyn’s Gift at Oamaru last month. “She was disappointing at Oamaru but she was found to be a bit […]
Trent Yesberg is enjoying his midweek trips to Addington. Last night his stable harness racing runners had a win (Foreman Fox), a second (Beautiful Crazy) and a third (Always A Diva) from three starters after claiming a winning double with Beautiful Crazy and Major Performer the previous week. That’s three winners in eight days – […]
The in-form Robertson stable will be out to continue impressive winning streaks with two of their recent “imports” at Addington this Friday night. The father-son combo of Peter and Mitchell Robertson line up Ward Lamon and Royal Belle, with the latter gunning for four in a row in Heat 2 of the new Metropolitan Tiara […]
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. […]
Sometimes Angela Boyd can’t believe what’s happened with her Girls On Tour syndicate this year. “We have just been so lucky.” The first horse she’s ever been involved in syndicating just happens to be star 2YO Tour Party and right now she and the Girls On Tour Syndicate are “having a blast”. The syndicate […]
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, […]
The corks will be popping if Loburn trainer Andrew Stuart can get one of his first starters home at Addington today. Shompanya, named after the world’s most famous bubbles, will debut in Race 1, the Aotea Electric Mobile Trot (4.32pm). “He has taken a fair bit of time but if he does everything right he’d […]
After placing second on debut as a 2YO it seemed a formality that Hearts N Aces (Captaintreacherous) would win a race at short notice. In the end that elusive harness racing victory wouldn’t come for more than two years. But when he did win, he did it in style. In Friday’s Sweet Lou at Woodlands […]
For Bronson Munro Friday’s Dunstan Sires’ Stakes 2YO Fillies Series (Heat 3) at Addington is a real head-scratcher. The on-farm trainer at Robert Famularo’s Dancingonmoonlight stables, Munro will line up three fillies in the $30,000 Heat – Eternal Perfection, Jorja and Validation. All three are fresh up this campaign. “I’ve never had three to the […]
Stephen Boyd is turning into a fan of the Wednesday races at Addington. Today will see the third midweek meeting this month and the West Melton-based trainer is keen to get involved. “One of ours was going to get turned out but these races are a good idea,” says Boyd. Boyd will line up two […]
Michael House’s about to start his bid to be a world champion. One of racing’s more colourful characters, the high profile Canterbury-based trainer is in Malta for the harness racing World Amateur Driving Championships which will be held this weekend. He will go head to head with 11 other international drivers from Austria, Belgium, USA, […]
It’s not often that races go to plan. But that’s exactly what happened with Radioactive Jaffa at Addington last night. “It went perfectly didn’t it?” says Radioactive Jaffa’s breeder, co-owner and trainer Russell Kennedy. “Wednesday meetings are made to order for him.” Starting off the unruly the Auckland Reactor 10-year-old was always going to get […]
Evergreen pacer American Me has been the big mover in this week’s Go Media New Zealand Trotting Cup rankings. The nine-year-old took out the IRT Spring Cup at Alexandra Park on Friday night in what was his fourth win in six starts since moving north to Matty White’s Clevedon stables. As a result of the […]
After a winning double at Geraldine on Sunday, Mia Holbrough now has her sights set on further success at Addington’s mid-week meeting. At Orari her dual victories were with the Jamie Gameson-trained BJ Hunnicutt as well as now 24-race winner Buffy Northstains for Bruce Negus. “It was a great day at Geraldine – I was […]
Classy mare and new mum Resolve’s (Andover Hall) re-appearance at the races, after a long spell away, will add plenty of interest to Sunday’s feature trot at Oamaru. The now eight-year-old, trained by Paul Nairn, is not only starting a new harness racing campaign but she’s returning to the Jasmyn’s Gift Fillies and Mares Stakes, […]
Races don’t come much more poignant than this. On Sunday, on his home track, the so-called “Mayor of Methven” Ricky May will attempt to train his first official winner in a race named after his late father. The inaugural Terry May Memorial is set to go at 1.43pm, with Ricky driving Blu Diamond, a Captain […]
After more than a year away from the races, What The Dragon is back. Last year the What The Hill gelding created quite an impression, winning four times in five races for trainer-driver Kyle Cameron. His last win was in the Winter Rewards at Addington last July. It was all looking so promising for a […]
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 […]
Cran Dalgety is keen to take on the role of party pooper at Addington on Friday. Kentuckiana Lodge will line up three harness racing runners in the inaugural $30,000 Touchdown Car Rentals Rising Stars Final for the 3YO Colts and Geldings – Razor Horizon, Franco Ankara and St Paddy. The series’ two heats were won […]
After more than a year away, classy pacer Tact McLeod is set for a race day return at Addington next week. All going well the Mark Jones-trained pacer will line up in the Allied Security Group 3 Maurice Holmes Vase, one of the traditional lead-up races to the New Zealand Trotting Cup, at Addington next […]
Wilson House has a two point lead heading into the final four heats of the McMillan Equine Feeds New Zealand Junior Driver Championships at Ashburton on Sunday. House compiled 34 points in the opening three heats at Alexandra Park on Friday night courtesy of a fifth with Brienne in the opening heat, then a fourth […]
Prominent Otago breeder Lex Williams has praised his “incredible” broodmare Fleet’s Pocket following her recent death, aged 26. “She was the first horse I ever bought,” says Williams, “she was a lovely old mare and very well-natured. What she did was remarkable.” She produced 19 foals from 2004 – 2022. “Fifteen of them were winners […]
This weekend Kiwi star Dexter Dunn will be out to win one of the few big races to have eluded him during his highly successful stint in North America – the Hambletonian at The Meadowlands in New Jersey. A five-time USA Driver of the Year and 10-time New Zealand champion, Dunn partners with the Marcus […]
After 98 starts as a pacer, Evangalist will make her trotting debut at Addington on Friday. The eight-year-old mare will line up in Race 3, the Joanne Clay and Friends Trot (6.04pm) with driver and co-trainer Jason Thomas hopeful she will deliver on the promise she showed in her latest trial. “When she qualified at […]
