By Josh Smith – Harness News Desk Kerryn Tomlinson may have only had four drives in the New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship at Addington Raceway over the weekend, but she made them count, taking out the series on Sunday. The Oamaru-based reinswoman was sitting third-equal with sister Sheree heading into the final heat and she was able to guide Bright Glow up the passing lane to finish runner-up and secure the Championship Crown. Tomlinson admitted it was a bit of surprise to find out that she had won the series…
Month: July 2020
Aussie News – 27 July 2020
By Adam Hamilton ANOTHER week, another Gloucester Park gift from the mighty Chicago Bull. Just a week after his epic last-stride win over emerging star Handsandwheels after a titanic battle, Chicago Bull defied the odds by dropping back in distance, sitting parked and beating the same horse again. This time it was a genuine crushing. And, in the depths of winter and after doing all the work parked, Chicago Bull’s 1min53.2sec mile rate for 2130m was just 0.3sec outside the track record. Handsandwheels was backed into $1.65 favourite because of…
Cambridge partnership to dissolve
By Josh Smith – Harness News Desk The training partnership between Cambridge horsemen Mike Berger and Matthew White will come to an end at the close of the season, with Berger electing to wind down his career. The Gr.1 New Zealand Cup (3200m) winning trainer collected his gold card last year and after speaking with former employee and long-time friend White, he convinced the then Australian-based horseman to return home and give training a crack in New Zealand. It wasn’t plain sailing for the pair this term, with White involved…
Matchmaker makes impressive debut
Promising two-year-old Matchmaker got her racing career off to the best possible start when she raced away to an impressive victory at Riccarton on Saturday. The Makfi filly took on her age-group rivals off the back of an eye-catching trial win at Rangiora last week which saw her heavily supported in the 1000m dash on the Heavy 10 surface. She didn’t let her backers down as she settled nicely in midfield before easing into a challenging position approaching the home bend. Rider Tina Comignaghi asked for an effort at the…
Tiley continues red-hot run with Avondale four-timer
Pukekohe trainer Nigel Tiley continued his fine run of form when he saddled four winners at Avondale on Saturday. Tiley and his apprentice Callum Jones, who have combined for six wins in the past month, kicked the day off in fine style when three-year-old filly Now Is Now produced a powerful finishing burst to register her first victory in the opening 1100m event on the programme. Three races later another three-year-old filly in Macushla made it back-to-back wins when she overcame a wide run in transit for Jones to dash…
Major Tom on target for Winter Cup
Versatile galloper Major Tom cemented his bid for the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton next month when he charged home out wide to score handsomely over 1400m at Avondale on Saturday. Co-trainer Kenny Rae, who prepares the six-year-old in partnership with daughter Krystal Williams-Tuhoro, was looking to confirm the southern sojourn for his charge and got his answer in the best possible fashion, courtesy of picture perfect ride by apprentice Mubs Kareem. Kareem followed his pre-race instructions to the letter, dropping the Red Giant gelding out to the tail…
Kamaruddin lands first winner
Seven-year-old gelding Al Haram provided Te Akau apprentice Joe Kamaruddin with the first win of his career on Saturday at Avondale. However, the Malaysian-born apprentice had to survive a protest lodged by runner up Windy Height and was suspended for 3 days for shifting in when Insufficiently clear of Magnanimous Man. Winning two of four starts earlier in the season, Al Haram found the line solidly for third when resuming in a Rating 81 Highweight 1550m at Awapuni earlier in the month and appreciated stepping up in to 2100m on…
High Emocean a quality stayer in the making
Progressive staying filly High Emocean (NZ) (Ocean Park) has continued her own winter rise through the grades and in the process ended the winning sequence of her stablemate Persan at Caulfield. Persan was chasing his fourth-straight city win this winter and fifth victory in his past six starts in Saturday’s Mark Needham Handicap (2394m) for three-year-olds in which he had to lump top weight of 62kg. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Persan started the $3.80 favourite and settled just off the pace with last-start Caulfield winner Lord Bouzeron (NZ)…
Group Three target for Showcasing mare
Group performer She’s A Thief (NZ) (Showcasing) recorded her fifth win from 24 starts and continued her rich vein of form with a dominant on-speed victory at Caulfield when taking the Neds Same Race Multi Handicap (1100m). The four-year-old mare has an affinity for the Caulfield circuit where she won two-starts back and was beaten less than a length when third last start. Trained by Michael Moroney, She’s A Thief was perfectly ridden by Daniel Stackhouse and scored by just over two lengths, and her racing career could now be…
Audio: Callum Jones
Apprentice Callum Jones chats with Andrew Bensley after taking out a winning double at Avondale