By Jonny Turner While Aussie harness racing fans have been pontificating over whether Ride High or Lochinvar Art is Australasia’s next superstar pacer, the real MVP has been quietly getting ready to take the mantle. The All Stars excitement machine Self Assured will step out at Addington on Friday for the first time since Lochinvar Art twice turned the table on their previous meetings in Australia over summer. After returning to home base to rest and recharge, the 4yr-old sensation will re-emerge bigger, stronger and ready to make his mark…
Month: July 2020
Jumping career beckons Kirkland
Kirkland (NZ) (Highly Recommended) won’t lack for fitness heading into Friday’s Lowe Schollum Jones Handicap (2060m) at Wanganui. Trainer Alexander Fieldes has Kirkland earmarked for a jumping career and has given the Highly Recommended five-year-old three outings at point-to-point jumping fixtures as well as a fresh-up flat run at Wanganui last month. Ridden by Sam O’Malley that day, Kirkland finished well for third, beaten less than three lengths, and he has the opportunity to improve on that performance in Friday’s Rating 93 highweight event. “He went pretty well here the…
Tough Kiwi ready to rumble for Finnegan
Cranbourne trainer Francis Finnegan is confident Kiwi import Lord Bouzeron can again foot it with some of the better late-season three-year-olds when he returns to Caulfield on Saturday. The son of Burgundy will contest the Mark Needham Handicap (2394m) a fortnight after winning impressively on Australian debut for Finnegan, having transferred from his sister-in-law Chrissy Bambry’s stable in New Zealand, for whom he won trials at Foxton and Otaki in June. The small but athletic gelding will again be ridden by three kilo-claiming apprentice Will Price, who notched his first…
AFL great Pagan makes fine start to training career
Two-time AFL premiership winning coach Denis Pagan has made a successful transition to training racehorses claiming his first winner at Sandown. Pagan, 72, coached North Melbourne to flag success in 1996 and 1999 and has always had a long-term love of the thoroughbred. It was through his association with Flemington trainer Troy Corstens that the spark was lit to try his hand at training horses. Pagan, who prepared his first runner on July 4 after being granted his licence just days earlier, had his fourth starter Frankie Two Angels (Medaglia…
Notabad day for Kiwi owners
An association that was struck nearly 40 years ago between trans-Tasman trainers was once again to the fore on Wednesday. Randwick trainers Jim and Greg Lee became acquainted with Chris Faulkner when they purchased Group One performer Tierra Rist (NZ) (Tierra Fuego) off the former New Zealand trainer in the 1980s. He went on to win the Gr.3 Crystal Mile Handicap (1600m), Listed Tattersall’s Club Cup (2000m), and Listed Underwood Cup (1900m) for the Lees and placed in a further 12 stakes races, including the Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m). They…
Avondale win for Make Time
The Stephen McKee-trained Make Time (NZ) (Makfi) broke maiden ranks on Wednesday with a comfortable victory at Avondale in testing conditions. The three-year-old gelding, who races in the Go Racing silks for the Penrhyn Syndicate, had been building up to the win running third in each of his three previous starts before racing was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We had to ease off him because of lockdown,” McKee said. “He did have that fitness edge and I was pretty sure he would go alright I just…
Last opportunity to secure Pearl Series bonuses
There are limited opportunities remaining this season for NZB Insurance Pearl Series registered fillies and mares to secure Pearl bonuses, as well as the one-off incentive for second-placegetters running until the end of July. The first of three NZB Insurance Pearl Series races take place on Friday, with a Maiden 1200m event at Wanganui, where six Pearl registered fillies and mares have been accepted among a mixed sex field of 11 runners. Avondale’s meeting on Saturday will include the running of a Maiden 1400m race at 3.20pm. There are six…
Counties meeting transferred to Avondale
Due to further significant rain at Pukekohe Park over the last 24 hours, and the impact this has had on the track, this Saturday’s Counties meeting has been transferred to Avondale. Distances and times remain the same. The rail will be moved out (distance tbc) after racing there on Wednesday.
NZB Standardbred Harness Racing NZ Awards 2020
New details have been confirmed for the annual harness racing awards, and they are bigger than originally planned. The NZB Standardbred Harness Racing NZ Awards will be held at Spectators Bar and Bistro at Addington Raceway on Monday September 14. Originally set down for August 10 the awards were going to be confined to five awards – leading driver, trainer, and junior as well as leading UDR junior and Best Moment of the Season (People’s Choice). Now, after feedback from the racing community, it’s been decided all the traditional horse/people awards…
What winter training’s like for Mark Jones
By racking up the wins since lockdown Mark Jones’ Burnham stables have been making up for lost time. He credits a barn with plenty of good horses and also a top team and with winter being a challenging time especially in the South island we headed out to his stables to see how they are cope with the coldest months of the year.