Contributor
Veronica Bennellick’s first season as a trainer reached a memorable harness racing milestone at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night, with Cee Whatabet delivering her first training win. The four-year-old Betting Line gelding, driven by his co-owner and Bennellick’s partner Michael Hay, led throughout to take out the Hoarding Signs Available at Cambridge Raceway Mobile Pace. […]
Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) welcomes comments by Racing Minister Winston Peters encouraging the industry to work together to secure the long-term future of racing in New Zealand. HRNZ is continuing to work collaboratively with NZTR to put in place a rigorous and robust approach considering the proposals for racing sector reform that were presented […]
A new wagering record was set at Addington and Cambridge last Friday night. Latest data shows the combined FNL (Friday Night Lights) turnover of $1.904m was harness racing’s highest winter Friday night total since records began in 2015-16. Last year’s highest corresponding figures were around $1.7m. Broken down, Addington’s turnover was $1.04m, up more than […]
Following the release of the 2026/27 TAB NZ Racing Calendar, Harness Racing New Zealand is outlining a number of changes to the national harness racing calendar designed to strengthen race quality, improve field sizes and support the long-term sustainability of the sport. The Future Starts Now remains the long-term strategy for harness racing in New […]
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) and Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) with the support of TAB New Zealand (TAB NZ) would like to provide an update on the timing of the next phase of Project Stamina. As the industry is aware, there are currently a number of wider strategic discussions underway relating to the long-term […]
The fields for the two big slot races at Cambridge’s Night of Champions are all but finalised. The seven trotters in the $530,000 TAB Trot were confirmed late last month, as have nine of the 10 runners in the $1m The Race by Sport Nation. The only slot left is the one owned by Mark […]
After another successful week, the Team Teal campaign is heading towards $20,000. Female drivers had 20 wins during the week’s eight meetings, including four each at Addington on Wednesday and at Rangiora yesterday. That takes the total since the campaign started on February 1 to 65, with Crystal Hackett leading the way with 10 wins, […]
Jamie Searle, a proud Southlander and respected racing journalist, has died in Invercargill after a battle with cancer. Inducted into the NZ Trotting Hall of Fame for his contribution to the history of harness racing, Searle worked for the Southland Times between 1986 and 2022. Of those 34 years he was a racing reporter for […]
Reunions pop up in the most unusual of places. Just recently prominent Otago-based harness racing identity Lex Williams had a notable, but not totally unexpected one, in Hobart. He’d heard through the grapevine that one of his former horses One Yankee Ginga was being used to “cart” tourists around the Tasmanian capital. ln January Williams […]
Teal Pants is on again, and it starts today. For the next six weeks (February 1 – March 15) the Teal Pants harness racing campaign will be in full swing, increasing awareness of ovarian cancer, and raising funds towards research. It has been held in this country since 2018, after originally starting across the Tasman […]
The Dunedin City Council (DCC) and Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) are pleased to announce the sale of Forbury Park, and its acquisition by the DCC. At nearly 12 hectares, the South Dunedin site is one of the biggest pieces of available land in the city. The sale price is $13.2 million. The purchase will […]
Top Kiwi junior Sarah O’Reilly has gone from first equal to second equal after the latest harness racing heats in the 1Equine Australasian Young Drivers’ Championships (AYDC) in Queensland. Her best result on night two of the championships at Redcliffe last night was a third in the sixth heat with Connies Spirit to have 45 […]
In a new initiative to highlight those that help keep our sport going Harness Racing New Zealand has decided on a new monthly award for its breeders and owners. All owners and breeders who win a race during the month will be eligible, with a random number generator selecting the two winners. Trophies will be […]
Harness racing filly Aardiebytheseaside (Downbytheseaside) scored a well-deserved win in the $175,000 G1 Tennant Engineering New Zealand Pacing Oaks at Addington today. With hot favourite Millwood Nike scratched on Thursday the Steve and Amanda Telfer trained filly who’s been chasing Millwood Nike all season, was given her chance to win the big dance. In a […]
Race by race coverage of Grand Prix Day at Addington, where eight harness racing Group 1s were decided, with total stakes exceeding $1m Race 10 : LIVAMOL NEW ZEALAND TROTTING FREE-FOR-ALL (MOBILE TROT) (Gr1) It was a bit touch and go there for a while but the hottest of favourites Oscar Bonavena (Majestic Son) got […]
Cambridge-based junior driver Zev Meredith’s heading south to the Manawatu confident he can add to his winning harness racing tally this season. Meredith’s enjoying his best ever season with 17 wins so far and he’s also secured a spot, along with Sarah O’Reilly and Crystal Hackett, to represent New Zealand at the Australasian Young Drivers’ […]
A huge line-up of items have been donated to Katie Cox’s Melbourne Cup fund-raising luncheon at Addington on Tuesday, November 7. The Canterbury-based trainer-driver has recently been diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer. Her plight has prompted a massive outpouring of support from both within and outside the harness racing community, with more […]
