Author: NZHarnessNews

By Jonny Turner Racing closer to home is the order for the Mark Jones stable this Christmas and it starts at Ashburton on Thursday. The Jones colours have been seen from Southland to Auckland and in between over the Christmas-New Year period in recent seasons but the introduction of a new racing calendar has coincided with a different approach this year. Judging by the chances among the Jones team at Ashburton, that may be bad news for rival Canterbury trainers. Among those chances is Mayson Shard who looks a decent…

As we move into a busy period of horse activity, remember New Zealand has some nasty infectious diseases that we need to ensure we don’t spread through carelessness. Equine herpes Virus 4 (EHV 4) has reared its head as the suspected bug in three sick young non-yearling sales horses at a North Island property. This is a timely reminder to wash and disinfect when moving between properties looking at yearlings. Your vet can advise on the need for vaccination. To learn more about EHV 4 and how to protect your…

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

Ten time Kiwi driving champion Dexter Dunn has gone four from four in North America. At the prestigious Dan Patch Awards, the star reinsman has been voted Driver of the year for a fourth straight time by the US Harness Writers Association. And this year was his best yet. Stakes earned over the year exceeded $15m. His current  record stands at 308 wins in 2022 from 1574 drives, with earnings of $15,197,579. That puts him easily on top, with Tim Tetrick second at $14,434,726. Tetrick has had 566 wins, with…

Darling Me retired High class mare Darling Me has run her last race, after winning 13 from 36 starts. The valuable daughter of champion mare Adore Me was found to have some knee damage after her unplaced run in last Friday’s Queen of Hearts at Alexandra Park so will head to stud where she is all but guaranteed a hugely commercial career. Cranbourne heads to USA..eventually The Brent and Tim White-trained Cranbourne will do his future racing in North America, after a stint with David Aitken in Victoria. The Sir…

By Michael Guerin A premiership battle that looked over last Saturday afternoon could be set to go down to the wire. The harness racing trainer’s premiership heads into the last 10 days of the season, which is now based on the calendar year, with just one win separating leaders Steve and Amanda Telfer on 94 wins and the All Stars operation of Mark Purdon and Hayden Cullen on 93. The battle for the title of New Zealand’s top trainer is resembling a heavyweight title fight in which both boxers look…

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  The story of Beeps and Evidently, two “everyday” horses from Peter Holmes’ Canterbury stable, is a remarkable one. Their racing records have run parallel to each other right from the start. Even when they qualified in 2019 the pair deadheated for second at Rangiora and the battle for bragging rights has been going on ever since. And that head-to-head took another turn at the weekend when Evidently cleared out to win race 6, the Kaiapoi Club/Morrisons Saddlery pace by six lengths on the…

HRNZ’s office will be closed from midday Friday, December 23 until 8am Wednesday, January 4. All enquiries during that time should be directed to admin@hrnz.co.nz – this email will be being checked throughout the closure. Happy holidays and see you in 2023. 

Canterbury junior driver Sam Thornley has capped off a productive last few weeks with his 50th success in the sulky. Earlier this month he was runner-up at the Australasian Young Drivers’ Championships in Victoria. And then yesterday at Rangiora he reined Madam Ruler to her first win in the Margaret and Morris Vermeulen Memorial Pace. “It was a big thrill getting there – especially on the old man’s horse,” Thornley told Harness Racing Unhinged’s Nigel Armstrong post-race. Trained by father Robin Thornley, Madam Ruler was quick off the arm and…