By Adam Hamilton Ladies In Red stamped herself as the best Australian mare of the modern era with a stunning Group 1 Queen of the Pacific at Melton last night. The mind blowing win moved trainer Emma Stewart to say: “She’s a freak.” Ladies In Red was having her just third run back from almost a year out and destroyed a vintage crop of mares – including Encipher and Amore Vita – to win by 11.6m. Her 1min53.8sec mile rate for 2760m took a thumping 1.8sec off the race record…
Author: NZHarnessNews
The Green team one to watch at Invercargill
By Jonny Turner A good day out at Ascot Park is exactly what Kirstin Green’s team needs before New Zealand Cup week. The trainer-driver has Addington targets in mind for most of the strong seven-horse team she has entered. Betting Sensation will clash with her stablemate Carrera Sunset in a small but talented lineup of three-year-old fillies. After an excellent last-start second at the same track, Betting Sensation looks among the best of the Green team stepping out at Ascot Park. “I think Betting Sensation – she’ll have the fitness…
The big questions after last night’s racing at Addington
By Michael Guerin Lead up meetings to the biggest carnivals can often be a very cold entree before the main course, an entree with very little meat on the bone too. Friday night at Addington was anything but, with the longer than usual gap before IRT New Zealand Cup day meaning plenty of stars used it to get ready for Cup week and Group 1 targets beyond. After a night when Diamond Racing (Team Dunn) started the evening with four straight training successes were we left with more questions than…
Auction items confirmed for Katie Cox’s Melbourne Cup fund-raiser
A huge line-up of items have been donated to Katie Cox’s Melbourne Cup fund-raising luncheon at Addington on Tuesday, November 7. The Canterbury-based trainer-driver has recently been diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer. Her plight has prompted a massive outpouring of support from both within and outside the harness racing community, with more than $130,000 raised so far to help with her treatment and medication. High profile presenter and form analyst Greg O’Connor is organising the luncheon next Tuesday. It will be held at the Silks Lounge from…
Nominations now open for Unsung Heroes Award
Nominations are now open for the Unsung Heroes of our industry to be recognised at our Annual Awards evening in February next year. This award is to recognize the contribution to racing by either a horse or person who continually contributes to our sport. They are not the big winners of major races but the people or horses who keep our industry going. They are not necessarily paid for what they do or get the acknowledgement they deserve. From a horse perspective it is those horses that are not legends…
Magic Four produces the goods once again
By Michael Guerin Magic Four is almost on a hiding to nothing. For most horses winning six races and and nearly $200,000 would be considered a pretty good career as a late four-year-old with the promise of more to come. But for Magic Four whatever lies ahead will almost certainly be the the encore to his finest performance after the night last year he upstaged what is now our biggest harness name. Magic Four of course caused one of the great upsets in NZ harness history when he won the NZB…
Tough draws for the big guns at Addington tonight
By Michael Guerin The four biggest names heading to Addington tonight have two things in common: bad starting positions and richer targets ahead. While that sounds like a dangerous recipe for punters to digest the reality is all four of them can win and the key to whether they are good bets or not will be price. Bolt For Brilliance (30m) and Republican Party (10m) start off handicaps in their respective trotting and pacing fixtures, lead-ups to the Dominion and New Zealand Trotting Cup. Also having to overcome poor draws…
Millwood Nike bounces back with trial win
By Michael Guerin Unbeaten filly Millwood Nike’s spring campaign is back on track after a winning trial at Ashburton on Tuesday. The 15-from-15 filly missed her latest engagement at Ashburton last week because of a stable incident on the day of the race but was back at the same track for a 2400m standing start trial. And it wasn’t just any trial as she took on her stablemate and NZ Derby favourite Don’t Stop Dreaming and beat him home by a head. “They were both good and went to the…
Hill hoping good week will get even better
By Jonny Turner A big week could get even bigger when Brendon Hill heads to Methven on Wednesday. The trainer takes two horses to a rescheduled meeting after producing Jimmy James Maguire to win the NZB Standardbred Sales Series Classic at Kaikoura on Monday. After brilliantly consistent form, the pacer finally nabbed a big race when leading throughout for his driver and part-owner Ricky May. “He was really good; you’ve just got to step and get handy out on that track, and that’s what he did,” Hill said. “The horse…
The Box Seat – November 1
Join hosts Greg O’Connor and Michael Guerin for this week’s edition of The Box Seat.