Contributor
A deep passion for the caper has seen Harness Racing Victoria Steward Barry Delaney mark 40 years in a role that has seen him climb the watchtower, ensuring participants’ safety and integrity since the 1980’s. Delaney has worked all over the country before settling in Victoria. “I came here (Victoria) from Adelaide originally in 1981 […]
Cranbourne’s pin-up model Bulletproof Boy (Art Official) is fighting fit and ready to tackle Saturday night’s Group 2 Decron Cranbourne Gold Cup after being a late scratching for last week’s Sportsbet A.G Hunter Cup. The harness racing 10-year-old won the Bendigo and Ballarat Cup booking his spot in the $250,000 Grand Circuit classic before being […]
KIWI trainer Nathan Purdon’s confidence varies between his stable harness racing stars Don’t Stop Dreaming (Bettor’s Delight) and Oscar Bonavena (Majestic Son) heading into the stellar Hunter Cup meeting. Purdon admits there is a genuine query as to whether Dont Stop Dreaming is as good as when he ran a slashing second to Leap To […]
Samkerr (Art Major) will be hoping to emulate her namesakes ability to rise to the occasion when she lines up in Saturday night’s Garrards Horse and Hound three-year-old Gold Chalice on Sportsbet A.G. Hunter Cup night. The filly named after Australian Matildas captain Sam Kerr will have her first run on Australian soil after coming […]
Adam Rudd is confident Bennie And The Jets (Quaker Jet) can make an impact in the Group 1 Great Southern Star final, despite being an outsider in the odds and rankings ahead of Saturday night’s prestigious harness racing series. “Some people think I’m mad stepping him up this far, but I firmly believe that if […]
Dear All Please find attached my weekly column. I am sending this today as we are going away for a few days. The photos: Always Hot – Stuart McCormick photo Keayang Chucky – Stuart McCormick photo Sweetnikkilou – Stuart McCormick photo Regards Peter Weekly-Spotlight-on-Breeding-January-31.docx
Harness Racing’s golden marvel Bulletproof Boy (Art Official) has a wider draw than trainer Scott Ewen would have liked, but will acquire the services of Australia’s leading driver, James Herbertson for Saturday night’s Group 1 Sportsbet A.G. Hunter Cup. “He has drawn a little bit wide, but there is nothing to worry about, looking at […]
Keayang Chucky (Love You) will head to the Terang trials tonight in a last-ditch attempt to join the main draw of the Yabby Dam Farms Great Southern Star final on Saturday night. The squaregaiter galloped in the early stages of the V L Dullard Cup, but managed to regain composure to charge home to win […]
Champion pacer Leap To Fame (Bettor’s Delight) has arrived in Victoria safe and well after landing at Tullamarine Airport earlier this morning. The winner of over three-million-dollars touched down with his main aim next week’s Sportsbet A.G. Hunter Cup, but will have a run at Melton this week in the Hertz Melton Casey Classic. Owner […]
Group 1 winning squaregaiter Harry Stamper (Majestic Son) will miss the Great Southern Star after undergoing surgery but will look to target the Inter Dominion later in the year. The Joe Pace-trained harness racing gelding has had some stifle surgery on his hind leg but is expected to make a full recovery. “He has some […]
Squaregaiting harness racing star Queen Elida (Love You) will use Saturday night’s Group 3 Woodlands Stud V L Dullard Trotters Cup as a dress rehearsal for next week’s Yabby Dam Farms Great Southern Star. The winner of close to a million dollars finished second in the Group 1 Aldebaran Park Maori Mile on Bendigo Cup […]
A last start win for HarryHoo (Sportswriter) has harness racing trainer Brent Curran itching to target a few more country cups before a trip to Melton. The seven-year-old zipped up the fence to win at $9 with Michelle Phillips in the cart on Ballarat Cup night. “He seems to have pulled up pretty well,” Curran […]
Andy Gath admits that eight-time Group 1 harness racing winner Catch A Wave (Captaintreacherous) will have to be at his very best if he is to topple great pacer Leap To Fame (Bettor’s Delight) in Saturday night’s Hertz Melton Casey Classic. The Long Forrest-trainer decided to skip last week’s Ballarat Cup and put his focus […]
The New Zealand assault on Victoria’s Grand Circuit stage will continue with Nathan Purdon confirming both Don’t Stop Dreaming (Bettor’s Delight) and Oscar Bonavena (Majestic Son) will contest the Sportsbet A.G Hunter Cup and the Yabby Dam Farms Great Southern Star. “Don’t Stop Dreaming and Oscar Bonavena will be there,” Nathan Purdon said. “They fly […]
Electric Amadeus (Rockin Amadeus) returned to the top overnight harness racing level of Century Mile and remained unbeaten on the year with a front-end victory in the Fillies and Mares Preferred-2 on Wednesday (Jan. 15). The mare pushed forward from the two hole for James Jungquist and snagged the lead while putting up a :28.3 […]
Nephew Of Sonoko ended a winless streak of over 760 days when he claimed his first harness racing victory since winning an Inter Dominion heat at Shepparton in November 2022, breaking through at Bendigo on cup night. The Ross Graham-trained gelding has found a bit a form in his later years leading up to that […]
American Alli has drawn ideally and has the traits to cause a stir in Friday evening’s Cobbitty Equine Farm Maryborough Pacing Cup Final. The Gary Murnane-trained 10-year-old has had a great start to 2025 winning on January 3 before finishing fifth in the harness racing heat last Friday. “We were a bit unlucky in the […]
Auckland Cup winner Republican Party (Bettor’s Delight) is set to start his Australian harness racing journey and make his way to Melbourne later tonight (Jan 15). The Kiwi pacer who boasts Group 1 status with wins in both the prestigious Auckland and Invercargill Cup will land in Melbourne ahead of the Feb 1 Sportsbet A.G […]
Harness racing driver Trevor Henry doubled his 2025 tally with a five-win night at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Monday (Jan. 14), highlighted by a Preferred Trot victory. He circled the field with New Rules (Lookslikeachpndale) in the $36,000 feature. The gelding, trailing to the quarter in :28.1, left the pylons and flushed out cover on […]
Master driver and caretaker of Kiwi pacer, Antony Butt has decided to skip Ballarat instead opting for the Hertz Melton Casey Classic the week after as the ideal harness racing preparation heading into the Sportsbet A.G Hunter Cup for Tact Mcleod (Sweet Lou). The Mark Jones-trained gelding has had a fair preparation heading into the […]
An interrupted preparation won’t hinder The Locomotive’s (Muscle Mass) path towards the 2025 Yabby Dam Farms Great Southern Star. The 2024 trotting Inter Dominion harness racing champion nominated for races at Shepparton and Menangle, but a lack of numbers caused the races to fall over. Trainer-driver Brad Hewitt is still unsure on the squaregaiter’s plans […]
Stash The Cookies (Sunfire Blue Chip) reached up at the last possible moment to complete a last-to-first harness racing victory in the Fillies and Mares Preferred at Century Mile on Wednesday (Jan. 8). The mare trailed her four rivals through the opening splits of :27.3 and :55.3. Dave Kelly pressed the go button as the […]
The year 2024 was filled with a Presidential Election, Taylor Swift exceeded a billion dollars in revenue after the success of her ‘Eras’ tour, and Keayang Zahara (Volstead) took the harness racing trotting world by storm. Melbourne news reading royalty, Peter Hitchener could escape the buzz of the megastar, who featured on a prime-time 9News bulletin. […]
There is a distinct Dennis Denuto ‘vibe’ floating around the harness racing stable of Matthew Craven and Amy Day. The Ecklin South-duo will be hoping that Dance Away (A Rocknroll Dance) can soak up some of that energy and emotion brought to the stable by Palamino Phenomenon, White Lion ahead of Sunday night’s Matthews Petroleum […]
