By Adam Hamilton This latest All Stars’ raid on Victoria has certainly been a success. Exciting three-year-old filly High Energy made it two-from-two on the trip (and eight from nine in her career) for Purdon Racing when she easily beat older rivals at Melton last Friday night. Greg Sugars took the daughter of Father Patrick straight to the front from gate three and won as he liked. And talented three-year-old The Real Sherlock, who won a heat of the Vicbred series, won his way through the final with a solid…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Nairn gears up for grass track return
By Jonny Turner There will be plenty of familiar sights when grass track harness racing returns at Methven today. Punters will be greeted with big, even fields and wide-open betting races when a fantastic 11-race programme gets underway. There will also be another familiar sight at the picturesque Mount Harding Raceway – that of Paul Nairn lining up key runners in trotting races. Among them is the impressive recent Addington winner Head Em Up. The two-year-old produced a massive debut victory at Addington recently when recovering from an early break…
Captain Ravishing a possibility for NZ Cup
By Adam Hamilton Owner Hass Taiba says the New Zealand Cup is a “very real option” with gifted Aussie pacer Captain Ravishing. Initial plans were to spell the star four-year-old after his terrific first-up third in last Saturday night’s $2.1mil TAB Eureka after an interrupted preparation. “He’s come through it so well, we’ve changed plans,” Taiba said. “I think we’d be crazy not to have a go at the Victoria Cup now (October 14) and then, if he comes through that well, take him to New Zealand. “He’s still in…
Perfect comeback by B D Joe
By Michael Guerin If trainer Steve Telfer was to have dreamed up the perfect comeback performance from B D Joe it would have looked a lot like Friday night’s Avon City Ford New Brighton Cup. Not only did the bold-going pacer justify favouritism in winning but he did so in the least stressful and harmless way possible and ticked the good manners box on the way through. “It was about the perfect return to racing,” said Telfer, who trains with his sister Amanda. “He stood up and stepped away, which…
Big numbers confirmed for NZ Cup and Dominion Trot
A total of 78 nominations have been received for the IRT New Zealand Cup and Renwick Farms Dominion Trot at Addington during Cup and Show Week. Nominations closed this week, with 46 pacers put forward for the New Zealand Cup on Tuesday, November 14 and 32 for the country’s premier trotting race the Dominion Trot three days later on Show Day (November 17). Among the nominations for the Cup are the Australian-based Swayzee, Loyalist, and Spirit of St Louis while the champ Copy That is vying for a history-equalling third…
All-weather racing returns to Gore
Racing is set to return to the all-weather track at Gore on September 28. At this week’s HRNZ Board meeting it was decided that the Gore all-weather track could be used again as a race day venue while the current National Venue Plan is underway. The final plan, which will guide how races and resources are distributed across New Zealand’s racing venues, is expected to be delivered by October 2024. The all-weather track at Gore has not held meetings since 2020, though has been retained as a busy training facility…
Huki Fella and Aardie’s Express shine at Wyndham
By Jonny Turner Huki Fella put adversity well behind him when he registered the first siring victory for Lord Forbes at Wyndham yesterday. The three-year-old impressed when powering home from off the speed to beat a handy line up for trainer-driver Craig Ferguson. Huki Fella is partly raced by the man behind his sire Lord Forbes, in Gavin Forbes. Forbes owned and raced Lord Forbes who won 11 races during an 118-start race track career. There were no grand plans for Lord Forbes to join the country’s siring ranks once…
Coastal Babe and Le Major take out Sires’ Stakes heats at Cambridge
By Michael Guerin If you think impressive Cambridge winner Coastal Babe still looks like a work in progress you should have seen her four months ago. The daughter of Downbytheseaside smashed some of the north’s best juvenile pacing fillies in her Dunstan Horsefeeds Sires’ Stakes heat on Thursday night, winning easily from a brave Ultimate Racy Girl and the favourite Kiss, who was three wide for the last lap. But as good as the placegetters were Coastal Babe won too easily in the hands of Matty White to suggest it…
NZ Cup spots on line for Republican Party and B D Joe
By Jonny Turner Established Group 1 performers will take on a wave of hopefuls from the intermediate grades in the New Zealand Cup’s second qualifier of the season at Addington on Friday night. B D Joe and Republican Party are among the biggest of names out to seal their starts in the country’s greatest race with victory in the New Brighton Cup. Republican Party returns for trainers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety after trialling nicely in his only recent hit-out. Though the Dalgetys would have preferred to trial their four-year-old again,…
Who’s impressing at the trials?
As we build up to racing’s biggest week of the year we will take a weekly look at the trials to see who’s doing what between now and New Zealand Cup and Show Week. Today’s installment is from the trials at Rangiora on Wednesday, September 6. Darby (3f Art Major – The Fascinator) The as yet unqualified filly trained by Trent Yesberg and piloted on this occasion by Carter Dalgety quickly made the front and comfortably held her opposition at bay, running her last 800m in 57.1, 400m in 27.2.…