By Adam Hamilton Champion driver Anthony Butt knows better than most how good the best Kiwi pacers are. Butt’s driven so many Kiwi stars to major wins in Australia, but this time he finds himself on the other side of the fence. Butt has picked-up the drive on emerging Aussie star Rock N Roll Doo while trainer Mick Stanley recovers from a back injury. And he takes the reins for the first time in a race for Saturday night’s $150,000 Group 1 Ballarat Cup, due to go at 11.18pm. Rock…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Important change for 2YOs to come into effect
Harness Racing New Zealand want to remind trainers of the important new rule change made last October regarding two-year-old pacers and trotters – from February 1, 2023 all two-year-olds must qualify before they race. After consultation with a number of groups, including the New Zealand Trainers and Drivers Association, HRNZ has agreed to the rule change to ensure that all horses, regardless of age, are of a qualified standard when they start their racing careers. In the past 2YOs have been exempt for 2YO races. But with the racing season…
Peak’s breeding blinder at Ashburton
by Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk One of the stars of Ashburton’s meeting yesterday wasn’t even there. Now based in Australia, Peak (pictured above) sired the winners of all four trotting races on the day, with Peaknmonkey (Peak – Twelve Monkeys) and Aiguille (Peak – Shell Seeker) providing an early double for driver Robbie Close before Maui (Peak – Shezadorabil) and Vertigo (Peak – Shimmie Shook Shook) made it a special day for the McCormick family. Maui was a $30 winner for Tinwald trainer-driver David McCormick with son Lawrence…
News Briefs : January 18
Dunns top drivers’ and trainers’ premiership After a huge two days at Nelson, Team Dunn has got off to a flying start in 2023. Currently the training combo of Robert and Jenna Dunn have 13 wins for the season, with Brent and Tim White and Phil Williamson next on 6. The Dunns had six winners at Richmond park on Sunday and three on the first day last Friday. John Dunn, who drove eight of the nine winners, has 13 wins for the season to be a clear six win leader…
Emotional victory dedicated to young Effie at Ashburton
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Victories don’t come much more emotional than this. When Lawrence McCormick, wearing a black armband, won with Vertigo at Ashburton on Tuesday afternoon it was a poignant and overwhelming moment for the Mid Canterbury trainer-driver. Moved to tears, McCormick looked to the skies and made a salute, dedicating the victory to three-year-old Effie Hurley, who had died just days earlier. Effie’s parents Shaun and Symone Hurley and their family are close to the McCormicks. “We’d all been camping together at Cromwell over the…
Mixed draws for Kiwi stars at Ballarat
By Adam Hamilton The two Kiwi raiders Copy That and Old Town Road had mixed luck in the barrier draw for Saturday night’s Group 1 Ballarat Cup. Dual New Zealand Cup winner Copy That snared gate five, but has lots of speed inside him, most notably former Kiwi pacer Cranbourne (gate three) and Torrid Saint (four). John Dickie’s rising star Old Town Road will need luck from inside the back row (eight). If the emergency Interest Free doesn’t get a run from the pole, Old Town Road will follow out…
Robert & Jenna Dunn take lead in Seddon Trainers’ Championship
Team Dunn’s dominant form at Nelson’s two day meeting has given them a commanding lead in the Public Trainers division of the new Seddon Trainers’ Championship. They have 127 points, fifty clear of previous leader Mark Jones, with Greg and Nina Hope just two behind on 75. The only other trainer within touching distance is Michael House (73). The training partnership of Robert and Jenna Dunn had nine wins over the two days at Richmond Park, highlighted by Mighty Looee’s back-to-back wins. On Sunday they had six wins, exactly half…
Todd with strong hand in junior drivers’ race
By Jonny Turner Regan Todd admits there is little between his pairing of Baileys Pitch and Theresa Love in today’s junior drivers’ event at Ashburton. The in-form duo have landed in contrasting draws for the 2400m mobile with Baileys Pitch to start from barrier 1, inside Theresa Love who has barrier 7. Race markets suggest Theresa Love ($2.50) has the edge over Baileys Pitch ($5.50) and while Todd agrees in principle, there may be less between the two than those prices suggest. “Going by their work on Saturday, I couldn’t…
Luk Chin turns 80 – “I’m going to keep going for a while yet”
By Michael Guerin Luk Chin may be turning 80 today but he says there is a very good reason he can’t retire from training and, more remarkably, driving in races. “I still have a goal to achieve, I want a Group 1 winner,” says the hugely popular Waikato horseman. Chin has been driving winners for four decades and has no reason to be concerned he is losing his touch: last season as a 79-year-old was his most successful yet with nine driving wins. All are trotters, all horses he trains,…
First Harness to Hack “huge success”
By Katie Steffert On the 17th and 18th of December 2022 the North Island Standardbred Assn held the inaugural From Harness to Hack event at the Waikato Equestrian Center. This event was designed to showcase the versatility of the breed in their life after racing. Combinations entered into one of three overall categories – Pleasure, Novice, or Open. They then selected four sections to compete in: inhand showing, ridden showing, dressage, show jumping, and musical equitation. To help encourage participation, combinations were able to choose their level of dressage test…