Year: 2023

Te Akau well-represented at Te Rapa

AAP

Romancing The Moon will lead a quartet of runners for Te Akau in Saturday’s Group 3 J Swap Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Te Akau Racing will hold a strong hand in each of the three stakes races at Te Rapa on Saturday. Leading their charge will be a four-pronged attack in the Group 3 J Swap Sprint (1400m), where Romancing The Moon ($3.30), Cognito ($5.50), and Aris Aris ($6) fill the first three lines of betting. Romancing The Moon heads into the…

Peter Stennett bullish about New Enterprise, The Albion

AAP

Darwin trainer Peter Stennett can’t hide his excitement as he celebrates a win in the Fannie Bay mounting yard. (Picture: Caroline Camilleri/Darwin Photography Professionals) His stable has featured in just 27 races this season, but remarkably Darwin trainer Peter Stennett sits third in the Top End premiership with nine wins. New Enterprise and The Albion have dominated for Stennett with three victories each, and both will be in action at Fannie Bay this Saturday. New Enterprise, a five-year-old gelding, is backing up after finishing third behind speedy types Fromthenevernever and…

Gutsell gets first driving win

NZHarnessNews

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk The appropriately named Still Rockin provided Ricky Gutsell with his first driving win at Winton yesterday. The 61-year-old, having just his 12th race day drive, led all the way in winning the Bruski Farm Mobile Pace. Unfancied by punters the A Rocknroll Dance five-year-old recorded his fifth win in 31 starts, paying $30.60. But Gutsell had rated his chances, especially after the horse’s sixth in the Macca Lodge South of the Waitaki Mobile Pace at Addington on Show Day. “I was very confident,”…

Latest from the trials – December 15

NZHarnessNews

Welcome to the last trials report for 2023. We will be back early next year, assessing form from around the country.  The Rangiora trials Tuesday 12th DecemberWeather Raining Track Easy / Slushy Moose Morowski (2g Art Major – Minnie Moose) The Todd-trained runner trailed fourth of four but in a well strung out group in miserable conditions, let loose 500m out to lead turning in, ran clear in straight, officially by 6 1/2L at the line . MR:2:08.4, 800m in 62.8, 400m in 31.1. His dam won eight and won…

O’Reilly still in contention at AYDC

NZHarnessNews

Top Kiwi junior Sarah O’Reilly has gone from first equal to second equal after the latest heats in the 1Equine Australasian Young Drivers’ Championships (AYDC) in Queensland. Her best result on night two of the championships at Redcliffe last night was a third in the sixth heat with Connies Spirit to have 45 points overall. That makes her second equal with Joshua Gallagher, who had a  good night with two wins, in heats four and six. Angus Garrard won the fifth heat with Gosling In Flight and is a clear…

Bad Medicine takes out Cup but many make their mark at Manawatu

NZHarnessNews

By Brigette Solomon Variety was the key at last night’s meeting at Manawatu, with eight different trainers taking out the eight races. That was in big contrast to just two days earlier when the father-son training-driving combo of Michael and Wilson House had dominated with five wins on the eight-race programme. The card opened with the Jay Abernethy-trained Eagle Hanover trotting to a comfortable win in the Doug Bradley Painting Handicap Trot. The three-year-old filly showed good manners and driver Sailesh Abernethy, who scored a driving double, capitalized on the…

Fan favourite back at Addington tonight

NZHarnessNews

By Michael Guerin Had tonight’s main pace at Addington been a month or two ago young gun driver Carter Dalgety would have viewed it very differently. Because back then he would have wanted one of his favourite horses in Fernetti to win but would have expected stablemate Watermelon Sugar to beat him home.Not any more. Fernetti has become one of the iron horses in the lower grades in Canterbury and has hung tough to be runner-up twice and then a winner on three of Addington’s biggest days. “He has really…

Familiar face returns to Alexandra Park

NZHarnessNews

By Michael Guerin Northern harness racing fans will get a preview of the return of the prodigal son tonight. Because while top class horseman Joshua Dickie isn’t returning home for good just yet he is only weeks away. Dickie, the multiple Group 1-winning driver and son of top trainer John Dickie, has been living in Victoria for the last two years training a small team on the property of his partner Samantha Kilgour. But Dickie is set for a permanent return home after being offered a role that includes being…

Butt gunning for the lead in tonight’s Queen Of Hearts

NZHarnessNews

By Michael Guerin Visiting horseman Bob Butt has declared war on red hot favourite Aardie’s Express in the $110,000 Woodlands Stud Queen Of Hearts at Alexandra Park tonight. Butt admits it is a war he and stable star Manhattan may not win but he’d rather find out than surrender the 2200m mobile Group 1. Manhattan has been a constant force in some of the biggest mare’s races around Australasia but was clearly outpointed by Aardie’s Express and runner-up Lady Of The Light in the Breeders Stakes, the lead-up last Friday…

High five for Williamson at Winton

NZHarnessNews

By Jonny Turner A training masterclass at Winton yesterday propelled Nathan Williamson to what may prove to be an unassailable lead in the Southland trainers premiership. Williamson enjoyed his most successful day as a trainer yet, producing five winners while guiding them all to victory from the sulky, too. “I’ve trained and driven four of my home ones before, but never this many, so it is a real thrill to win this many in one day,” the trainer-driver said. The swag of winners came with a nice bonus, they took…