Month: August 2023

Katherine to unveil new surface, boosted purses for Cup Day

AAP

The Katherine Turf Club’s annual Cup Day meeting in the Northern Territory takes place this Saturday. Katherine Cup Day, which normally goes ahead 12 days after Darwin Cup Day, takes place this Saturday, with KTC president Paul Mullins and his committee busily completing preparations. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Katherine Turf Club’s marquee meeting at the Jim Jackson Racecourse still went ahead as scheduled. Last year, the track was resurfaced with 1600 tons of new sand added around its entire circumference, which is roughly 1500m. It was the first…

Orange back to eighth at WDC

NZHarnessNews

By Dave Di Somma Champion Kiwi driver Blair Orange has slipped back to eighth place heading into the last day of the world drivers’ championships in Europe. On day three in Belgium Orange had a third, a fourth, two sixths and a disqualification to be on 89 points, 50 behind runaway leader and defending champion Rick Ebbinge from the Netherlands. Orange was fourth after day two, the halfway mark. There is a close race behind Ebbinge with Australia’s Peter McMullen on 106 points, one ahead of Hanna Huygens from Belgium…

Big numbers for Wallis-Hackett and Team Telfer at Alexandra Park

NZHarnessNews

By Michael Guerin The chances of the Wallis-Hackett stable continuing their golden Alexandra Park trotting season have increased even before tonight’s meeting begins. The perennial leading trotting stable in the north are already up to 21 trotting winners this season and will have six of the eight starters in the feature trot on Thursday. That includes Springbank Mason and All Cashed Up, both off a 40m handicap, from where they could have struggled to catch greatly-improved front marker Ilsas Son. The latter was chasing his fifth win from six starts…

NZ Cup and Show week feature race nominations now open

NZHarnessNews

Addington Raceway is pleased to announce that the nominations for the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup, Renwick Farms Dominion Trot and Graphite Developments Ltd / Glenys & Philip Kennard Show Day Futurity Pace are now open. The two feature races are the biggest races at Addington Raceway for the year and part of the biggest week in harness racing in Australasia. To see more information click here  To see Addington Raceway’s feature race information click here 

Stonybreck claims synthetic feature

NZRacingDesk

Stonybreck (NZ) (Tavistock) continued his dominant run of form on the country’s synthetic tracks on Wednesday, when securing a comfortable victory in the Richard Bright Memorial Cup 1550 at Cambridge. The consistent son of Tavistock broke his maiden just over a year ago at Cambridge and was a heavily supported favourite in a tidy field of polytrack specialists. Wednesday’s victory was his third in as many starts at the venue and his fourth on the all-weather surface. Piloted expertly by Opie Bosson, Stonybreck travelled midfield before moving into contention at…

Unbeaten Crocetti Takes on Stakes Challenge

NZRacingDesk

Exciting three-year-old Crocetti (NZ) (Zacinto) will put his unbeaten record on the line when he returns to Ruakaka this weekend to tackle the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). The Danny Walker and Arron Tata-trained gelding won on debut as a juvenile before winning first-up at Ruakaka a fortnight ago and will return to the Northland venue this weekend to have his first crack at stakes level. Walker is excited about the prospects of the Zacinto gelding and believes the forecast conditions will be ideal for his charge. “He…

News Briefs – July 16

NZHarnessNews

Vale John Higgins Harness Racing New Zealand would like to pass on its condolences to the family of John “Higgy” Higgins, who died suddently in Westport last week. The ever popular Higgis, an insurance agent for more than 40 years, was born in Westport where the family are well known but spent most of his life in Southland. According to HRNZ records Higgins either co-bred/bred or raced around 60 horses including Padraig (5 wins in NZ), Eilis Rose (10 wins here and overseas), Hemisphere (3 wins), Empresso Jaccka (4 wins),…

Blue September Launch Dinner

NZHarnessNews

Friday 1st September – Addington Raceway Join us for a Launch Dinner as the Blue September Campaign kicks off for 2023!– Buffet Dinner– Cash Bar– Raffles with some great prizes!– Punters Club – also with a great prize! – Meet the ambassadors– Free racebook and racing entertainment all night Tickets are $55 each with $10 going to the Prostate Cancer Foundation – Tables of 10 – $500 Book now by emailing courtney@hrnz.co.nz  

Stonybreck continues synthetic form

AAP

Stonybreck winning at Cambridge on Wednesday. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Stonybreck continued his dominant run of form on the country’s synthetic tracks on Wednesday, when securing a comfortable victory at Cambridge. The consistent son of Tavistock broke his maiden just over a year ago at Cambridge and was a heavily supported favourite in a tidy field of polytrack specialists. Wednesday’s victory was his third in as many starts at the venue and his fourth on the all-weather surface. Piloted expertly by Opie Bosson, Stonybreck travelled midfield before moving into…