Michael and Matthew Pitman will be represented by a big team of runners at Tuesday’s Reefton meeting and the prospect of a drying track will be welcomed by their feature race contender. The stable accepted with a quartet in the Ken Gray Memorial Reefton Cup (1400m), but the father-and-son combination’s hopes are likely to rest solely with Golden Harvest. The Ghibellines seven-year-old has a mixed form line, although he hasn’t enjoyed the best of luck in more recent times and is most effective on good ground. “I’ll probably only run…
Month: January 2024
Jack In The Box springs into action
Diane Andersen spent the best part of two decades away from training, but she is loving being back. The Waikato horsewoman previously trained for 16 seasons before a change of career path, and she is excited to have returned to the thoroughbred industry in a full-time capacity. “I used to train and I have been out of it for a while,” Andersen said. “I went and got an accounting degree and spent 20 years as an accountant. I got offered voluntary redundancy and it looked like a good opportunity to…
Two firsts from the weekend’s racing
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Hailing from one of harness racing’s best known and most successful families, Chris and Kimberly Butt produced a notable first at Motukarara yesterday. The two siblings quinellaed race 2, the Bernie Hutton Memorial Pace, both driving five-year-old sons of Sweet Lou in Lord Mudrick and Spirited Lou. “We don’t drive against each other that often,” Kimberly told Harness Unhinged’s Nigel Armstrong post race. “And that is the first time,” she said of their quinella. Their father is three-time New Zealand Cup winning driver…
Autumn targets for Cambridge Stud pair
Cambridge Stud are getting excited about autumn racing with their star Australian-based fillies Joliestar and Zourion after they returned to work this week. Joliestar was a phenomenon in spring for trainer Chris Waller, finishing runner-up in three races before her Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) triumph, including the Listed Desirable Stakes (1400m) and Listed Reginald Allen Quality (1400m). “It was wonderful to get that (Thousand Guineas victory),” Cambridge Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre said. “She has had a decent spell since and is on the comeback trail. She kicks off in…
Dickie lands double at Cambridge
By Brigette Solomon Only recently back from a stint in Australia, Josh Dickie reined a double at Cambridge Raceway yesterday. Both winners were trained by Dickie’s new employers, Steve and Amanda Telfer, the first being Slots in Race 3. The three-year-old colt by Sweet Lou was too good for his rivals powering away to win by a margin of three and a quarter lengths. From his starting draw of seven, Dickie allowed the gelding to work around to the lead and from there he never looked like being beaten. A…
Cromwell Cup an all Wyndham affair
by Jonny Turner Da Vinci’s sizzling speed set up a Wyndham whitewash in the Cromwell Cup on Saturday. The pacer sealed an outstanding result for breeder-owners Paul and Brendan Duffy and trainer Craig Ferguson when holding out his half-sister and stablemate Nutcracker who chased gamely along the inner. In front of a bumper crowd at a meeting hosted by the Wyndham Harness Racing Club, with plenty of friends and family in attendance, vice-president Brendan Duffy had plenty to be proud after the one-three finish. “I’m probably especially proud of Nutcracker,…
Pencarrow Stud preparing for Karaka 2024
With just three weeks until the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale commences at Karaka, Stud Manager Leon Casey and his team are busy putting the finishing touches on Pencarrow Stud’s 23-strong 2024 sale draft. The Sir Peter Vela owner operation has developed a rich history of providing quality international and domestic performers since Sir Peter and his late brother Phillip established the Tamahere-based property over three decades ago. Casey is justifiably excited about the wide range of youngsters the Stud will send through the auction ring this year. “We…
Rae and Williams team have good chances in Reefton Cup
The father and daughter training partnership of Ken Rae and Krystal Williams will take a two-pronged attack into the main race at Reefton on Tuesday, the Ken Gray Memorial Reefton Cup (1400m). Rae and Williams will back-up both The Buffer (NZ) (Reliable Man) and Follow Your Dreams (NZ) (Contributer) in the event after the pair contested the Kumara Gold Nuggets (1810m) on Saturday with contrasting fortunes. While Follow Your Dreams was narrowly beaten into fourth, sentimental favourite The Buffer couldn’t capitalise on a nice run in the trail, battling on…
Testwin has Derby Aspirations
Impressive three-year-old debutant Testwin (NZ) (Time Test) justified some solid support when he took out the opening event on the card at Hastings on Saturday. The Guy Lowry and Leah Zydenbos-trained son of Time Test boasts an impressive physique and showed he has the ability to match as he put in some huge strides late in the piece to score impressively by half-a-length in the maiden 1600m contest. Given a perfect run behind the pace by rider Jonathan Riddell, Testwin appreciated first use of a track rated as Soft7 before…
Holymanz makes a mess of rivals in Coastal Classic
Holymanz justified his race favourite status with a win in the Costal Classic at Geelong on Saturday. Photo: Grant Courtney The highly talented Holymanz is in line for a return to the country of his birth after scoring an effortless win in the $300,000 Coastal Classic (1700m) at Geelong on Saturday. The four-year-old races in the colours of Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay, who are keen to contest the inaugural $1 million Aotearoa Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on January 27. Top horse racing bookmakers reacted to Saturday’s performance…