Selections | Winton – Today

Trottech’s  selections for today’s meeting at Winton – Friday, Dec 24  Head to www.tab.co.nz to place your bet! Race TrottechForm Analyst Race 112.07pm 4 Hot To Trot1 Cheeky Monkey7 Jordan Anne8 Millie’s Gift Race 212.32pm 5 Glorifilia2 Ballymena12 Mighthavtime10 Hit The Lights Race 312.57pm 6 Talkin Unowhat3 Durrant9 Watchlist5 Bender 13 Seastorie1 Netherton Franco    Race 41.22pm 6 Carrera Dance 13 Chezz Dale12 Glitz And Glam1 Rakajed Race 51.50pm 3 Port Pegasus12 Miss Bamboocha9 Insist The Win10 Dem Bones Dem Bones Race 62.22pm 3 Love On The Rocks2 Idealism5 Artatac1 Macandrew Aviator Race 72.52pm…

Herlihy makes key gear changes

Tony Herlihy is hoping some extra eyewear helps his two main chances at Cambridge today. Herlihy takes a larger than usual team to today’s meeting but with the added bonus he can head south to drive them for the first time in over four months. Last Tango In Heaven and Melanion (race 12) make up a powerful combo in the race of the day and Herlihy hopes blinds will help wake Last Tango In Heaven up. “He got beaten at Alexandra Park last Friday and while he was fresh-up he…

Donnelly hoping Christmas comes early at Cambridge

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Local trainer Arna Donnelly is hoping Christmas comes early when she lines-up 10 runners at Cambridge Raceway on Friday. The Christmas Eve meeting is a staple of the racing calendar and Donnelly is excited about her stable’s chances, including a three-pronged attack in the Garrards Horse & Hound Cambridge Xmas Cup Handicap Pace (2700m). Rough And Ready, Taipo and Kango are all fresh-up off the back of their southern campaigns, which included tilts at the Gr.1 New Zealand Trotting Cup (3200m) and Gr.1 New…

Balmoral the ‘king of the castle’

When race caller Victoria Shaw encountered trainer Damian Meade and his regally bred sprinter Balmoral at Healesville recently, she was taken by the bond between the unlikely pair, describing their relationship as “beautiful to watch”. Balmoral is bred to win a Melbourne Cup, being by champion sire Barcia Bale out of eight-time Group finalist Split Image, winner of the G2 Vince Curry Memorial Maiden in 2016. However, after starting his career in South Australia, Balmoral appeared destined for the Greyhound Adoption Program before being noticed by a friend of Meade’s…

How to spend $20 on the Sale Cup Final

Expert form analyst The Watchdog says Mepunga Ruby “deserves to be favourite” – albeit with some reservation – for the $75,000 to-the-winner Group 1 GOLD FM Sale Cup final on Sunday night (Boxing Day). Mepunga Ruby, who is chasing her first Group 1 at her third attempt, won her Sale Cup heat in 37.37sec. “I’m a little bit concerned about the box draw,” The Watchdog said. “It’s misleading, the ‘red’ (Box 1) draw for her. “She does like to move off the track through the first turn and has a…

Cup trifecta on the cards for Stockman

New Zealand-bred gelding Stockman (NZ) (Tavistock) will be vying to add another Cup victory to his resume on Boxing Day when he lines-up in the Gr.3 Summer Cup (2000m) at Randwick. The Joe Pride-trained five-year-old has already captured the Listed McKell (2000m) and Listed Caloundra (2400m) Cups in the winter, and is an early $3.80 favourite for the Summer Cup this weekend. The gelding has been enjoying the wet start to the summer, finishing runner-up to Ellsberg on a heavy track in the Gr.3 Festival Stakes (1500m) and closing late for fourth to stablemate Brutality on…

Richards quinellas own race

It was a fitting result in the Congratulations Hong Kong Bound Jamie Richards Maiden (1400m) at Matamata on Thursday, with Richards taking out the quinella. Felicienne finally broke through for her maiden win at the ninth time of asking, after previously finishing runner-up in for of her eight starts, and finished third in another. Despite drawing outside in the 12-horse field, Felicienne was rated a top three chance and duly obliged under a confident ride by Opie Bosson. Last passing the 800m, tracking an improving stablemate Soprano Supreme, she swept…

COVID-19 UPDATE: Participants urged to remain vigilant as masks again become mandatory while indoors

GRV reminds participants that, effective 11.59pm tonight, masks are again mandatory while indoors. Persons wishing to attend GRV clubs and race meetings must show proof of double vaccination against COVID-19 unless they can provide an official Australian Immunisation Register immunisation exemption form, completed and signed by an approved medical practitioner. Participants and racegoers are asked to please remain vigilant in relation to COVID-19, by way of: If you have any flu like symptoms, get tested and isolate until you have a result; Use the QR code process to register your…

Can ‘Tyson’ deliver a Sale Cup KO?

Omega Tyson is the local ‘great white hope’ in the $75,000 to-the-winner Group 1 GOLD FM Sale Cup (650m) on Boxing Day. And his Seaspray breeder-owner-trainer Barry Harper, 73, hopes he plays ‘hometown hero’. “The money is always handy, but to win the Sale Cup would be absolutely sensational – the highlight of my career in the sport,” Harper said. And that’s saying something considering Harper finished second with Zippity Magic, beaten a half-length, in the 1994 G1 Melbourne Cup won by champion Light Of Fire. Omega Tyson is also attempting…

Sale Cup Final: Armchair Guide

Chasing a second Group 1 Gold FM Sale Cup title on Sunday night, Jeff Britton is cautiously optimistic it will be a case of third time lucky on the Group 1 stage for TAB’s $2.20 favourite Mepunga Ruby in the Boxing Day showpiece. Britton won the Sale Cup in 2014 with classy Western Australian Star Recall, while his GRV Hall Of Fame inductee father Allan and brother Robert have also won the event in 1997 and 2010 with Shannen’s Storm and Symmetry respectively. Mepunga Ruby (Box 1) has been racing…