Month: September 2022

Promising filly looking to show her Prowess at Cambridge

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Prowess winning on debut at Wanganui. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood are confident their promising filly Prowess can make a winning start to her spring preparation at Cambridge on Wednesday. The daughter of Proisir won on debut in her only two-year-old outing in April and will have her first hit-out of her three-year-old season on her home track in the Cambridge Equine Hospital (1300m). She won her trial on the synthetic surface last month and her trainers resisted the urge to trek…

Guineas appetiser for Japanese Emperor

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Japanese Emperor winning on debut at Sandown. Photo: Pat Scala (Racing Photos) Impressive debut winner Japanese Emperor will get his first look at Caulfield on Saturday where he will be out to continue his winning ways in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m). The Satono Aladdin gelding won by two lengths at Sandown last month and trainer Michael Moroney highlighted the Guineas Prelude as the best platform to launch the remainder of his spring campaign. “We went through the programmes and thought this was the right path to take…

Oamaru gears up for massive Hannon Memorial meeting

NZHarnessNews

The Oamaru Harness Racing Club has all the information punters need ahead of the huge Placemakers Hannon Memorial meeting on Sunday. The Oamaru HRC Facebook page is packed with interviews with leading trainers and drivers who have key runners in the feature events on our huge day of racing. Racing journalist Jonny Turner caught up with Mark Purdon to discuss the impressive team he starts at our meeting. Purdon and training partner Hayden Cullen step out their classy three-year-old Akuta in the Hannon Memorial, as well as starting a number…

Hewitson’s aspiring to new heights as DBS x Manulife Million Challenge kicks off

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Lyle Hewitson’s chasing a fifth win aboard Valiant Elegance. Lyle Hewitson heads into Wednesday’s (September 14) eight-race card at Happy Valley primed for the mount aboard Valiant Elegance in the Class 3 Deep Water Bay Handicap (1000m). Happy Valley’s first meeting of the season marks the start of the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge, which runs until February 8, 2023. The competition is for horses racing in Class 3 and above, with points awarded for first, second, third and fourth place finishes. A first-up win for Valiant Elegance would bag…

Geelong racing preview & best bets | Thursday, September 15

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What Geelong Races Where Geelong Racecourse – 99 Breakwater Rd, Breakwater VIC 3219 When Thursday, September 15, 2022 First Race 12:30pm AEST Visit Ladbrokes A massive day of racing awaits punters on Thursday afternoon at Geelong, where a 10-race program is set down for decision. We expect to be starting on a Soft 6 or 7, although a showery forecast for Thursday morning could push the track into the Heavy range. The rail comes out to the 6m mark for the meeting, and while that could favour on-speed runners early…

Classie Brigade – “he’s been a wonderful horse”

NZHarnessNews

by Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk They dreamed of winning a fourth consecutive Kaikoura Cup with him but age has finally caught up with the grand campaigner that is Classie Brigade. After finishing ninth in Alta Wiseguy’s New Brighton Cup at Addington on Friday the decision was made over the weekend to retire the nine-year-old gelding. “He’s a wonderful horse,” says co-owner Grant Eynon, “but he showed us that he’s had enough.” “He has lost a metre or two of speed and you just can’t do that against the…

Breeding oddity tearing up at the trials

NZHarnessNews

by Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Robert Anderson admits he wasn’t sure what to expect when he bred a Sundon mare to a pacing stallion. But judging from her sizzling form at the trials Jezebel looks to be an exciting prospect. “I’ve never had one who works like she works,” says the North Canterbury-based trainer-driver, “she’s big and powerful and glides over the ground.” Four-year-old mare Jezebel is by Sir Lincoln out of Proserpina. She was an unraced mare by Sundon out of Smooth Nero. Smooth Nero, a good…

Aardie’s Express makes Fillies Final

NZHarnessNews

Boom filly Aardie’s Express has joined First Rose in qualifying for the Nevele R Fillies Final at Addington on Cup day on Tuesday, November 8. The Telfer-trained star sealed a place in the Group 1 Final with an impressive victory over True Fantasy in heat two of the Nevele R Fillies Series on Friday night. From a potentially awkward second row draw Tim Williams extricated Aardie’s Express off the fence to take the lead with over a lap to go. From there the outcome was not in question. It was…

Aussie News : September 12

NZHarnessNews

by Adam Hamilton Former Kiwi horseman Brent Lilley’s assault on the upcoming Inter Dominion trotting series just keeps gathering momentum. Waiting to resume is brilliant young mare Queen Elida, while four-year-old stablemate Aldebaran Zeus has returned in fantastic style. Aldebaran Zeus graduated to feature open-class race winner when he worked to the front and staved-off a gallant reigning Inter Dominion champ Maori Law to win the $50,000 Group 1 Australasian Trotting Championship (2760m) at Melton. Chris Alford drove superbly, dictating terms before breaking his rivals with a 27.6sec split down…

Jerry Garcia on song at Methven

NZHarnessNews

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Evergreen trotter Jerry Garcia continued to belie his age at Methven on Sunday when winning the Methven Seed Cleaning Trot (2400m). It was his sixth trotting success after previously posting nine wins as a pacer, and trainer-driver Leo O’Reilly is hoping he can further add to that tally before the 12-year-old gelding his aged out of racing at the end of the year. “I am really happy, he went really well. He has been a grand old campaigner,” O’Reilly said. “We were quite happy…