Author: NZHarnessNews

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.…

By Rob Courtney Well known Canterbury harness owner and breeder Hazel Van Opzeeland is actually of Scottish heritage and was born in New Zealand but through marriage developed a Dutch connection. The popular racing identity will have three runners going around at Addington this Friday night including the unbeaten two-year-old Vessem, a horse she bred, then sold, then bought back into when secured by Mark Purdon at the 2022 National Yearling sales. The Vincent – Imke B (Bettors Delight – Lughnasadh) colt will be shooting for the perfect five from…

The terms and conditions have now been confirmed for two breeding bonus schemes recently announced in Harness Racing New Zealand’s 2023-24 Funding Document. The Fillies and Mares Breeding Credit Scheme (FMBCS) and NZ Bred Breeding Bonus Scheme (NZBBBS) came into force on August 1, 2023. HRNZ has budgeted a total of $750,000 for the two schemes per annum. The FMBCS is intended to encourage the retention of Fillies and Mares, who have lived and raced in New Zealand, for breeding once they have finished racing, while the NZBBBS, as the…

By Michael Guerin All bad draws are not equal heading into two sparkling juvenile races at Cambridge tonight. The two-year-old season in the north ramps right back up for both the fillies and the boys with Sires’ Stakes heats within an hour starting at 7.26pm. The boy’s heat in particular looks very strong for this early in the campaign and sees the return of two of the stars of the early season in Breckon Farms Final quinellamates Cold Chisel and Escape Artists for trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan, who…

By Jonny Turner It is easy to forget that one of the stars of New Zealand harness racing is just a baby. That’s how driver Tim Williams describes Aardie’s Express who will take her spring campaign in a new direction at Winton today. The classy mare is set to start at red-hot odds ($1.20FF) in a mobile mile that features the return of another big name in Robyns Playboy. Aardies Express was set to win her last start at Addington before she broke before the home turn. Williams blamed himself…

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

The Invercargill Harness Racing Club is delighted to announce the introduction of the Invercargill Harness Ascot Park Iron Horse Bonus Scheme for pacers and trotters for the 2023/23 racing season. Over the last few months the club committee has discussed various options for a bonus scheme specific to their race meetings and they have settled on the Iron Horse scheme which sees a pool of $27,500 up for grabs at the season end! Conditions: The top 10 most raced horses that have started at an Invercargill Harness meeting only and…

Tickets on sale for Cup week Tickets are now on sale for New Zealand Cup day, Tuesday November 14. There are a range of options, starting with General Admission for $40.To see more click here Another milestone for Lazarus Lazarus sired his first southern hemisphere stakes winner when Sir Knight took out the Group 2 NSW Breeders Challenge for 2YO Colts and Geldings at Menangle on Saturday night. Trained by Elizabeth Heath and driven by Robert Morris, the five start maiden was given no real chance. He ended up paying…

By Adam Hamilton High profile Aussie owner Duncan McPherson hopes his star trotter Aldebaran Zeus can “do a Just Believe” when he tackles some of the world’s best trotters. Aldebaran Zeus, a five-time Group 1 winner who also won the Group 2 Waikato Flying Mile at Cambridge in April this year, will fly the flag for Down Under trotting in the $US1mil Yonkers International Trot in New York on Sunday morning our time. “How can you not look at what Just Believe did and think it’s a great sign” McPherson…

A new season of the Box Seat with hosts Greg O’Connor and Michael Guerin.