Month: July 2020

Big Fish, Little Fish is the brand new Whale Watch brought to you by Michael Guerin and Craig Thompson. Today they look over the Addington meeting.

By Adam Hamilton Australia’s gun four-year-old Lochinvar Art returns from a break at Shepparton on Saturday night. While he is classes above his rivals, a lack of race fitness and awkward draw make for a fascinating contest. “He’s come up really well. He’ll obviously need the run first-up, he’s the sort of horse that thrives on racing and gets better with it,” trainer-driver David Moran said. Lochinvar Art has drawn inside the back row over 2190m, while the lightly-raced and very promising Sirletic has gate two. Former topliner San Carlo,…

By Jonny Turner Even by the standards of the New Zealand Cups greats, preparations for the great race do not start much better than Robyns Playboy’s emphatic winning performance at Ascot Park on Thursday. The Ross and Chris Wilson trained pacer started his march towards the second Tuesday in November by bolting away from his rivals to win by a massive five lengths for driver Kerryn Tomlinson. Trained at Gore in Eastern Southland, Robyns Playboy has recently been nicknamed the “Beast From The East” by some of his fans. The…

By Jonny Turner Winton trainer Trevor Proctor does not want to let the specially named Tact Fergie out of his sight following the debutante’s impressive win at Ascot Park on Thursday.   The Art Major 3yr-old from grand producer Tact Hayley, who Proctor races with his partner Diane Dynes, impressed when cruising to victory with Brent Barclay in the sulky in race 3. Tact Hayley is named after Dynes’ niece, Hayley McLeod and Tact Fergie is named after her son, Fergie. The McLeod family has been through a tough time…

By Dave Di Somma – Harness News Desk Sheree Tomlinson says bragging rights won’t be an issue when she squares off against younger sister Kerryn in this weekend’s junior drivers championship at Addington. “She knows where she stands… in the pecking order,” says Sheree cheekily. It’s believed to be the first time two sisters have been involved in the same series. The championships will be contested between 12 drivers, six from the North and six from the South, over six races on Friday and Sunday. “I’m not too nervous, more…

From 1 August 2020 all foals will be microchipped, freeze branded and DNA tested, by the HRNZ appointed horse identifier (brander). This will be the only season we are both freeze branding and microchipping. From 1 August 2021 (2021/22 season) all foals will be microchipped and DNA tested only – we will NO longer be freeze branding. Harness Racing New Zealand is using the LifeChip Microchips which are produced by Destron Fearing in France. This is the same technology that is used by many racing entities including Harness Racing Australia,…

By Josh Smith – Harness News Desk With calving in full swing John Godfrey has been kept busy on his Roto O Rangi dairy farm, but he was delighted to get off his property on Thursday night to watch his pride and joy, Bodrum Boy, win the Bruntwood Equestrian – Horse Agistment Mobile Pace (2200m) at Cambridge Raceway. It was the second career victory for the rising six-year-old after he made a perfect start to his racing career in May when winning on debut at the Waikato track. The son…

By Josh Smith – Harness News Desk Sheree Tomlinson will be looking to start the New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship with a bang at Addington Raceway on Friday night. Lady luck has been on her side in the first day of the series, being allocated three favoured runners in each of the championship heats. She will kick-off the night behind the Brent Weaver-trained Motoring Major in the McMillan Equine Feeds NZ Junior Drivers (Heat 1) Mobile Pace (2600m). While unplaced in both of his runs this preparation, TAB bookmakers have…