Herengawe (NZ) (Zed) will make his return to New Zealand racing at Awapuni on Saturday. The Isaac Lupton-bred and owned gelding last raced in New Zealand 18 months ago when he was victorious in the Gr.3 Metric Mile (1600m) at Awapuni. He has since been racing in Sydney under the care of leading trainer Chris Waller, where his best result was a placing in the Gr.3 Premier Cup (1900m) at Rosehill last August. He failed to flatter in his subsequent starts and has returned to Lupton’s Waverley dairy farm where…
Month: May 2021
Waller searching for Queensland glory with Kiwi contingent
Leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller will line-up a pair of Kiwis in the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m) on Saturday and he is positive about both of their chances ahead of the Brisbane feature. Evergreen galloper Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo) will have his 50th start in the race and Waller said he will appreciate the step up to 2000m after his fifth placing in the Gr.2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) earlier this month. “He didn’t get a lot of luck (in the Hollindale Stakes),” Waller said. “He finished off pretty well in questionably…
Thurlow playing waiting game with stable duo
Bill Thurlow is playing the waiting game with a pair of his gallopers. The Waverley trainer has two horses entered for Hawera’s Sunday meeting, however, with Day Light (NZ) (Sacred Falls) drawing the outside gate in the Wanganui-Taranaki Owners Association “Pakaraka star” Maiden (2000m) and Darlington County (NZ) (So You Think) being the first emergency for the Transag “Our Paddy Boy” Maiden (1400m), he may wait until next Wednesday at Hastings with the pair. While he is yet to make the decision on which way he will go with Day…
Kango gets perfect Jewels tune-up
By Michael Guerin Trainer Arna Donnelly is glad she isn’t driving Kango in one of the biggest races of his career at the Jewels. Because ask Donnelly what she thinks she would do in a best-case scenario and and she admits she doesn’t know. The giant first-season pacer got the perfect pre-Jewels confidence boost on his home track on Thursday night when he cruised to the front and was never out of third gear before romping home from Doc Holliday in a sizzling 55.5 second last 800m in the 2700m…
Amateur Drivers’ championship heads to Auckland tonight
The national amateur drivers’ championship resumes at Alexandra Park tonight, after Canterbury-based driver Andrew Fitzgerald took out the first heat at Cambridge last night. Driving Mighty Monica, Fitzgerald was three back the rail at the bell, only to peel out turning for home. The Sheryl Wigg-trained five-year-old mare then produced a determined finish to down Rocknroll Mama and Frank Phelan by a length. Sheryl Wigg was third with Jungle Gem. Wigg is the favourite to win the championship. Her strike rate of 10 wins and ten placings from 26 drives…
Dream comes true for Thornley
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk A clash with the premier meeting at Addington Raceway has opened up a great opportunity for junior driver Olivia Thornley at Alexandra Park on Friday night. With regular drivers Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen engaged at Addington, the young reinswoman has been entrusted with the drive behind multiple Group One winner Amazing Dream in the Lincoln Farms Mobile Pace (2200m). Thornley has yet to drive the Hayden Cullen-trained mare in a trial, let alone a race, but she knows her well, having driven her…
Alf Kneebone: A tribute to another time
Alf Kneebone was a skilled clarinet player as well as a highly respected racing scribe. A slice of racing history has been lost with the death at age 98 of racing scribe Alf Kneebone. He was in many ways from another time, the type of newspaperman who is now a rarity. Alf spent a long working life in journalism, beginning as a general reporter with the Waikato Times before entering the specialist field of racing after World War ll service. Over the next 50 years he cemented his place in…
‘Queen Qwara’ wears the Sapphire Crown
Qwara Bale was ‘coronated’ as Australia’s sprinting queen in tonight’s Group 1 Sapphire Crown final (515m) at Sandown Park. Prepared by Victoria’s leading trainer Andrea Dailly, Qwara Bale produced a powerhouse performance in the $100,000 to-the-winner event. Jumping well from the awkward ‘green’ alley (Box 6), Qwara Bale positioned third early, around six lengths behind her tearaway kennelmate and G1 Australian Cup finalist Shima Classic. But the recent G2 Warrnambool Cup winner came with a withering finishing burst to land her 13th – and most important – win from 22…
Britton’s G1 double dreams ‘carry on’
Young Anakie trainer Tim Britton, 31 – whose father, Robert, is a legend of the sport – prepared his first Group 1 finalist when Utah Blues made the Australian Cup in late February. And now Tim will be attempting to emulate his dad when littermates Carry On Angel (Box 6) and Carry On Star (Box 4) contest the G1 Harrison-Dawson (515m) and G1 Sapphire Crown (515m) finals respectively at Sandown Park tonight. Britton Snr won the elusive double six years apart – 2013 Clone Your Own (Harrison-Dawson) and 2019 Neo…
All-stars to clash as Sandown hits fever pitch
Tonight’s $145,000 Group 1 Harrison-Dawson Final (515m), to run at 8.34pm, might be the best race we witness this year. Six of the eight finalists are arguably among the top 10 greyhounds in Australia right now, with The Watchdog settling on Australian Cup runner-up Fernando Bluey as his top selection. Four heats were run last week with Shima Shine (29.00sec), Tiggerlong Tonk (29.10sec), Fire Legend (29.49sec) & Catch The Thief (29.52sec) victorious. With Sandown to also host the $145,000 G1 Sapphire Crown Final (515m) at 7.49pm, along with four heats…