It will be a big day when the Invercargill Harness Racing Club holds its Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup Day at Ascot Park Raceway in Invercargill, on Saturday. Top class racing, Ladies Fashion In The Field, and the opportunity to win $1000 to spend on the Cup plus a trip for 7 nights to the Peninsular Beachfront Resort in Mooloolaba are all part of the day. The Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup, the region’s first ever Group 1 race, is Race 7 on the programme timed to start at 7.29pm.…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Familiar sight back at Alexandra Park this Friday
By Michael Guerin Majestic Man is back at one of his favourite tracks on Friday night. Favourite tracks that is if you like running brave placings. The wonderful old trotter faces a 30m back mark in the $50,000 Thames Members Handicap Trot and has been a staple of some of the best trotting races at Alexandra Park for the last three years. He even won a heat of the Inter Dominions there back in 2019, thrashing Group 1 winners Habibi Inta, Massive Metro and Winterfell by four-and-a-half lengths in a…
Handicaps add intrigue to historic Invercargill Cup
By Jonny Turner It’s the Melbourne Cup – but Invercargill style. The countdown to Southland’s first-ever Group One race of any code ramped up a notch with a stellar line up being confirmed for Saturday’s Invercargill Cup. Handicap conditions are part of the mystique and intrigue of any Melbourne Cup build up and they have added a vital layer for punters to assess ahead of Ascot Park’s massive day on Saturday. B D Joe, Self Assured, Spankem and Krug come into the Invercargill Cup after filling the first four placings…
Swain hoping for big week
By Jonny Turner Aaron Swain is hoping for a fruitful week in his home province, starting at Ascot Park on Wednesday. The trainer has brought Ideal Double south for her debut in race 2 on the back of strong Canterbury trial form. The filly is a daughter of the very well-performed Southland racemare, On The Double. Whether Ideal Double can put together a record as good as her mother’s is yet to be seen, but her recent trial win at Ashburton suggests she can make a mark of her own.…
Cullen leaves All Stars for Team Telfer
By Michael Guerin The two stables locked in battle for the New Zealand harness racing premiership are about to see a remarkable personnel change as Team Telfer looks to increase its huge footprint in industry. The brother and sister training team of Steve and Amanda Telfer will be joined in partnership in January 1 by Hayden Cullen, who at present trains in partnership with champion trainer Mark Purdon at the All Stars. Team Telfer lead the Purdon/Cullen stable by one win with just over two weeks of the harness racing…
Team Teal back in 2023
Harness Racing New Zealand’s Team Teal campaign has been confirmed for 2023. Held on both sides of the Tasman, this will be the sixth time the campaign’s been held in this country. It has been remarkably successful in making people aware of ovarian cancer, and raising funds towards much needed research. The campaign was set up by Australian Duncan McPherson after his wife died from ovarian cancer. All of our female drivers will wear teal coloured pants throughout the campaign. The five New Zealand ambassadors will be successful drivers Sam…
Graeme Trist – more than half a century as a hobby breeder
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk After more than fifty years, Graeme Trist has decided to call time on breeding horses. Best known for his association with 2001 New Zealand Cup champion Kym’s Girl, Trist says all things must come to an end. “I’m just round the corner from 80,” says Trist, “so my age and health are the main reasons.” Trist is the epitome of a hobby breeder, based at West Melton before moving to Darfield a year or so ago. He started his teaching career in the mid…
Aussie News – Dec 12
By Adam Hamilton Aussie star Rock N Roll Doo is already being set for another New Zealand raid. Trainer-driver Mick Stanley said The Race at Cambridge was a major target. Rock N Roll Doo only had a brief break after his frustrating NZ Cup raid and will return to racing in next Saturday night’s Cranbourne Cup. “We skipped the Inter Dominion because there are so many big races for him after Christmas,” Stanley said. “He’s got the Hunter Cup, up to Sydney for the Miracle Mile and then we’ll head…
Mare times Green Mile run to perfection
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Group One performer Time Up The Hill timed her run to perfection when taking out the Trotters Green Mile (1609m) at Methven on Sunday. The daughter of Muscle Hill took an early trail behind The Dominator from her frontline draw and was able to enjoy a soft trip throughout. Time Up The Hill was able to scoot up the passing lane for driver Katie Cox and got up to nab race favourite Mataderos on the line to win by half a head. “From the…
Thornley finishes second in AYDC
Kiwi hope Sam Thornley has finished second at the Australasian Young Drivers’ Championship across the Tasman. The Canterbury-based Thornley led from the opening night of the championships with two wins from two drives and went into the final race at Melton last night with a five point lead. But in the final race of the series closest challenger Tayla French from Victoria won with outsider Major Watson, paying $77.30. With Thornley finishing third on Morrison Dream, French clinched the championship by three points, 72 to 69. The championships was run…