Author: NZHarnessNews

by Mike Love, Harness News Desk Gore trainer Tony Stratford will look to continue his team’s recent success with three runners at Winton on Saturday. Goma Dale, a four-year-old Auckland Reactor gelding, steps out for his debut with a handy barrier draw of two, in the Mico Plumbing and Bathrooms Mobile Pace. The gelding won his qualifier impressively at the same track on April 28th, stopping the clock at 3:02 for the 2400m mobile, and a sizzling 56.2 final 800m. Although he had a few heart in mouth moments over…

By Michael Guerin Mike Berger may joke these days about his age but that experience is helping him still train plenty of winners with his small team. Berger captured the first race at Cambridge on Thursday night when trotter Quik Sharnie made it two wins on end in the hands of Ben Butcher, downing leader Del Shannon via the passing lane. It was his seventh training success this year. But the Waikato trainer wasn’t there to see the win, watching from Canterbury where he is campaigning Cos I Can in…

By Michael Guerin John Dunn admits he and Triple G probably can’t beat hot favourite Don’t Stop Dreaming in tonight’s Garrards $150,000 Sires’ Stakes Final but he still has to have a plan to try. And for Dunn that plan means trying to get in front of the star colt and stay there. Don’t Stop Dreaming dominated many of tonight’s rivals in a heat of this series last Friday and moved into red hot territory when arch rival Merlin was scratched from tonight’s 1980m race with a hoof abscess. That…

By Michael Guerin Trainer Nicky Chilcott is trying to contain her excitement with New Zealand’s best early-season juvenile trotter The Moonstone. But it can’t be easy as the daughter of Monkey Bones has looked something special in her two unbeaten starts. The Moonstone was enormous winning on debut after an early break then was professional when beating surprise favourite High Step at Alexandra Park last Thursday. Both her wins have come in heats of the Young Gun series for trotters, a welcome addition, which has its $40,000 final at Alexandra…

Here’s Greg O’Connor and Darrin Williams with the latest Addington News. 

By Adam Hamilton Star trotter Just Believe capped his preparation for the upcoming Swedish raid with a sharp trial win at Melton last night. With regular driver Greg Sugars nursing a sore shoulder, stable youngster Bailey McDonough took the reins as Just Believe toyed with his rivals to win the trial easily in a 55.8sec closing 800m. “Ideally, we’d have had that lead-up race last weekend, but it fell through,” Sugars said. “Still, he’s had plenty of work at home and the two trials now before he heads across next…

This week’s Box Seat with hosts Greg O’Connor and Michael Guerin. 

By Michael Guerin The attitude of a couple of rival drivers may determine how comfortable punters feel during the $150,000 Garrards Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington on Friday. Because while almost every multi on the night will run through star colt Don’t Stop Dreaming, two of his key rivals have drawn inside him in the Group 1. Don’t Stop Dreaming is set to start red hot in the 1980m three-year-old event after he drew barrier 6 a day after arch rival Merlin pulled out of the final with a hoof…

By Michael Guerin One of the potentially great rivalries of New Zealand harness racing in coming seasons is back on ice before it really got going again. Two-time Harness Million and Great Northern Derby winner Merlin has been sidelined with a hoof abscess and will Friday night’s $150,000 Group 1 Garrards Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington. That was to have been his fourth career clash with Don’t Stop Dreaming after the southern colt took a 2-1 advantage in their personal battle with an easy win at Addington last Friday. The…