By Jonny Turner Big performances at the Hannon Memorial meeting have two favourites from Brett Gray’s stable ready to strike at Wyndham on Thursday. Gray lines up four runners at Young Quinn Raceway with each of the quartet looking a genuine winning threat. The Gray team is headed by classy trotting mare Peregrine who drops perfectly in a rating 35-65 trot with her 64 rating. Stable junior driver Tristan Larsen to take the reins in what looks a very winnable race. “It was a pretty good run at Oamaru, she…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Kahlua Flybye heads to Cambridge after narrow Group 1 defeat
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Less than a week after coming tantalisingly close to a Group 1 victory, Kahlua Flybye is back on the path towards her next elite-level target. The Bettor’s Delight filly looked to have the Group 1 Caduceus Club 2YO Fillies Classic (2200m) sewn up halfway down the straight at Alexandra Park last week, but she was just pipped at the post by the fast-finishing Millwood Nike. Co-trainer Steve Telfer was delighted with Kahlua Flybye’s performance and is excited about what the future holds for his…
Huge first win for Dewe
By Jonny Turner Tyler Dewe produced his first win as a trainer in the most stunning fashion at Winton on Saturday. Dewe got his official training account underway on the best possible note when Teddy Baker and driver Rory McIlwrick left their rivals in their dust to score a brilliant maiden victory. The pair set a pace far too hectic for those left in their wake when clocking a 2-54.4 time for 2400m and winning by more than nine lengths. Teddy Baker has been better known as a grinding type…
Chief Of Staff ready to claim first stakes scalp
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Chief Of Staff will be out to claim his first stakes scalp on Sunday when he lines up in the Group 3 Majestic Son DG Jones Banks Peninsula Cup (2810m) at Motukarara Raceway. The eight-year-old gelding was runner-up in the race last year behind former stablemate Mataderos, when trained by Robert and Jenna Dunn, and went on to place in the Group 3 Canterbury Park Cup (2600m) and ran fourth in the Group 1 Dominion (3200m). Chief Of Staff has since returned to the…
La Rosa back from the wilderness
By Jonny Turner After a massive wait, La Rosa is finally back. The Mark Jones trained four-year-old lines up at Winton on Saturday, starting for the first time since June of 2021. A series of hiccups are behind the former star age group filly being away from the track for 15 months. A fetlock operation was followed by a bone chip procedure before tie-up issues pushed La Rosa’s return back from the winter to the spring. Finally ready to return, the question many punters will be asking is whether La…
All Stars fillies looking to join exclusive club
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk All Stars Racing will be out to extend their dominant run in the Group 1 Woodlands Stud Caduceus Club 2YO Fillies Classic (2200m) at Alexandra Park on Friday night. Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen have trained seven of the last eight winners of the race, with Mark Purdon steering home True Fantasy to victory in last year’s edition of the race for now training partner Hayden Cullen, while the couple were on a sabbatical from training. The Rolleston barn will have a two-pronged attack…
Donnelly big on numbers and quality in Spring Cup
By Michael Guerin Emerging trainer Arna Donnelly says their future travel plans are the best pointer to the chances of her four starters in tonight’s Betavet Spring Cup at Alexandra Park. The open class event isn’t close to being the richest race of the night but contains horses with roles to play in the major races ahead, even if it has lost early favourite Old Town Road after he took some skin off a leg in a minor paddock accident. That leaves just six starters in the 2200m standing start…
Addington Weekly : September 22
Here’s Greg O’Connor and Darrin Williams with the Addington News – September 22
Woodlands Stud back Fillies & Mares Racing at Addington
In a push to further their commitment to the future of the breeding industry in New Zealand, Woodlands Stud are proud to announce that from this week onwards they will be sponsoring 41 fillies and mares races at Addington Raceway this season. This comes at a crucial time when giving our female horses more opportunities to ensure less are being exported overseas is vital for the future of our foal numbers. “Supporting fillies and mares races has become a major focus for us, as by providing our females the opportunity…
B D Joe prevails in star-studded trial
By Michael Guerin The big boys of harness racing are ready to return to the races judging by some satisfied trainers at the Rangiora trials on Wednesday. Which means the Addington meeting on Friday week will boast the strongest line ups of the spring so far in both the pacing and trotting ranks. Sundees Son was the first of the huge names out on Wednesday and he pleased driver John Dunn by easily overcoming his 40m handicap to win the 2600m main trot in 3:23.3, the last 800m in 59…