Month: March 2023

Who will be Horse of the Year? The best of the best will be recognised at the Harness Racing New Zealand Awards in Christchurch tonight. Upwards of 300 of the sport’s highest achievers, including trainers, drivers, breeders, and owners, will be part of the night’s festivities at Addington Raceway, with doors opening at 5.15pm. It will be MC’d by well-known racing personality Greg O’Connor and Trackside presenter Nicole Sims. The function, starting at 6pm, will feature more than 30 awards, among them some new ones including the Future Wealth Stablehand of…

By Michael Guerin What happened at Addington on November 11, 2022 is exactly how a great horse should end his career. That great horse, a champion, was Sundees Son. And the $300,000 Renwick Farms Dominion was the race he never should have won. If you were there or have seen it, you will never forget it. It unfolded like this. The bigger, faster Muscle Mountain got the drop on little Sundees Son with driver John Dunn sweeping to the lead early then handing up. After Sundees Son worked his way to…

Reigning Horse of the Year Sundees Son has run his last race. It’s been officially announced that the superstar trotter has been retired, effective immediately, after X rays and a scan showed some bone bruising. The 12-time Group 1 winner finished with 34 wins from 72 starts and earnings of over $1.4m. To see the official release from Diamond Racing click here  

By Michael Guerin Voters faced an unusual challenge deciding the winners for tomorrow’s Harness Horse of the Year awards in Christchurch. The annual awards have finally bedded in in their new March home, having to be moved from the previous dates between August and as late as October because of the change of seasons. That meant the 2022 season  finished on December 31 so the awards given out tomorrow night will cover that entire year, rather than the August to July 31 period the awards used to cover. It tidies…

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Kyle Marshall is gearing up for his move across the Tasman next month but before then he has got more pressing matters at home. The Cambridge horseman is moving his training operation to Cranbourne in Victoria. “We have got a couple of races here to focus on before getting them on a plane, so we are looking forward to them.” One of those races is the Group 2 Alabar 3YO Classic (2200m) at Alexandra Park on Friday night where the stable will be represented…

By Jonny Turner Smart debutante Always Ticking heads an outstanding book of drives Brent Barclay has at Winton on Friday. Barclay has driven several of the field for Southland’s first two-year-old fillies event of the season in their trials and workouts. So the reinsman is more qualified than most to rate the Brett Gray trained Always Ticking as a serious winning threat. The filly comes into race 1 on Friday after impressing in her most recent workout for the Gray stable. “I liked the feel of her in her trial…

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk There was an electric atmosphere at Addington Raceway on Thursday night as One Change crossed the line to record his 18th career victory in the Alabar Free-For-All Mobile Pace (2600m). In what could be touted as one of the most exciting races to date this season, the speed was on from the outset with Corravally Star, Henry Hubert and Mighty Looee all driven hard off the gate. From his outside draw, driver Blair Orange wasn’t enticed to enter the speed duel with One Change,…