By Michael Guerin One of the biggest movers of the pacing ranks in 2023 will remain a New Zealand Cup contender until he tells his connections otherwise. Nicholas Cage emerged from lower grade three-year-old in December to earn a spot in The Race By Grins by April, claiming some big scalps along the way through the autumn. Trainers Andrew and Lyn Neal say he is a different horse now after his winter spell and he has earned a New Zealand Cup campaign. “Last season when we took him down south…
Author: NZHarnessNews
News Briefs – August 9
Telfers hit 200 Aardiebytheseaside’s win at Auckland last Thursday gave the brother-sister combo of Steve and Amanda Telfer their 200th training success. They brought up the milestone from 1259 starts, with their first winner being Cloudy Bay at Auckland in August 2020. Steve also has 190 wins when in partnership with Chris Garlick (2012-17), 28 with Amanda and Hayden Cullen (2023) and 131 on his own account, from 2008 to 2020. That gives Steve Telfer 549 wins overall, with Amanda at 228. Upsets on one of North America’s biggest days…
Orange to wear silver fern at world championships
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk The country’s top driver Blair Orange leaves on Friday to take on the world’s best. In many respects, it’s a trip into the unknown. The Canterbury-based reinsman will compete at the World Drivers’ Championships in Europe. The championships will be contested over 20 races at four different tracks at three different countries – the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium – from August 14-18. Ten drivers from all over the world will be involved, with the winner of each race receiving 17 points and then…
Will Redwood … the Clerking Cowboy
By Rob Courtney Will Redwood will have been ‘clerking’ in Canterbury for two years come this November and is living his dream. “Fancy having a job in New Zealand riding your own horse and getting paid for it,” he says. So apart from assisting his good mate Craig Wiggins at the Canterbury tracks as a clerk of the course what do we know about Will Redwood? Timaru-educated (Roncalli College) and raised on a Marlborough back block farm, where both parents were ‘horsey’, Redwood spent most of his teenage holidays in…
Ray Green tweaks Copy That’s New Zealand Cup build up
By Michael Guerin Trainer Ray Green has a surprise bonus for southern harness fans as he starts to plot Copy That’s road to a record-equalling third New Zealand Cup. Because that road is going to run predominantly through the two big South Island lead-up races, setting up some mouth-watering clashes with Self Assured and Akuta. Copy That has been back doing serious hoppled work for a week and Green says he has a lot to work with. “He has come back big and round because he really can put weight…
Official Notice re Breeding Incentive Scheme
After receiving a number of enquiries from breeders, Harness Racing New Zealand wishes to clarify aspects of the Breeding Incentive Scheme (BIS). Introduced last year, the scheme will not be continued for the 2023/24 season. But HRNZ wants to advise breeders that all outstanding credits will be honoured. Under the scheme a $1000 stallion service fee credit was given to the breeder for any mare that produced a microchipped foal in the 2022/23 season and then rebred the same mare or another mare in its place and obtained a 42-day…
Uptown Funk gets well-deserved spell
After a great run of early-winter form, Uptown Funk has headed off for a spell, though it’s planned he’ll back in time for some key assignments in November. It’s been quite the year for the Art Major three-year-old with three wins in nine starts, with his form justifying the faith shown in him by trainer Trent Yesberg at a young age. Yesberg secured Uptown Funk (Art Major – Uptown Attitude) at the 2021 NZ Bloodstock Yearling Sales. However his familiarity with the horse goes back further than that. While doing…
Brett’s Mate bounces back to secure second win
By Jonny Turner Kyle Cameron took a chance on Brett’s Mate and it paid off again at Addington on Sunday. The usually consistent trotter put a last-start mishap behind him with a faultless display to win race 7 for the trainer-driver. Cameron was offered Brett’s Mate as a young horse to train and race with breeder-owner John Allan and he took a chance on the trotter which is now paying off. “John offered me the horse and I didn’t have too many trotters at the time,” Cameron said. “I had…
Hope stable set to wheel out the big guns
By Michael Guerin The stars of the Hope racing stables are almost ready to return, and they are not all equine. Trainers Greg and Nina Hope have already welcomed back their three top trotters headlined by Muscle Mountain, who will be racing in a month. He will be joined in the Ordeal Cup at Addington by Anzac Cup winner Eurokash while Midnight Dash will be back even earlier, being set for the Basil Dean on August 25. But before the powerful squaregaiting squad returns the stable’s prodigal son makes his…
Aussie News – August 6
By Adam Hanilton Normality resumed when Leap To Farm returned to winning form in stunning style at Albion Park last night. Australasia’s most exciting pacer was made to earn it after sitting parked in quick time, but switched into another gear when asked to by trainer-driver Grant Dixon. Leap To Fame quickly put away the emerging leader Mr McLaren and zoomed clear to win by 10.1m in a slick 1min53.2sec mile rate for 2138m. It was just 1.2sec outside half-brother Swayzee’s track record, but he ran the time on the…