By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Dual-gaited warhorse, Take After Me will clock up his 200th start as a trotter at Addington on Friday night, and it seems he’s nowhere near finished. The Holmes Hanover 12-year-old has had a total 323 starts, since first racing as a three-year-old, with four pacing wins and 14 as a trotter. “I knew he was close to 200 because my old mate Trevor Grant and Rachmaninov brought up 200 the other day and I knew we were next,” says Take After Me’s trainer…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Aussie News – June 8
By Adam Hamilton Star former Kiwi pacer Magnificent Storm continues to scare off his rivals in WA’s free-for-all ranks. Not long back, his scheduled race was scrapped due to lack of entries. Last week, Magnificent Storm thrashed his only four rivals. And Friday night there are only three rivals left in the $A30,000 Members’ Sprint (1730m). It should be another cakewalk for WA’s best pacer as he prepares for his first interstate trip when he heads to Brisbane early next month for three races, starting with the $50,000 Mr Feelgood…
Springbank Mason head big Wallis-Hackett team at Alexandra Park tonight
By Michael Guerin Champion trainer of trotters Michelle Wallis says Springbank Mason is the best chance of the six she has starting in the main trot at Alexandra Park tonight but that assessment comes with a warning. “We are the worst tipsters of our own horses,” laughs Wallis about the horses she trains with husband Bernie Hackett. The couple almost always have the biggest hand in trotting races at Alexandra Park tonight but even for them six in the main trot of the night is an impressive display of horsepower.…
News Briefs : June 7
Vale Keith Beveridge Harness Racing New Zealand would like to send its condolences to the family of Keith Beveridge. A true hobby trainer, Beveridge had three winners – Spry Lad, Princess Rashad and Stoney Gold – from 164 starters between the late 1980s and 2016. Beveridge worked as a carpenter for the then Ministry of Works in Westport and trained his horses at Patterson Park before moving to Christchurch about 25 years ago. “Keith was a good old Buller battler,” says his nephew Phil who’s also a harness racing trainer,…
HRNZ announces changes to its Board
Statement from HRNZ : Harness Racing New Zealand Board Changes John Coulam and Kevin McNaught have resigned as Chair and Deputy Chair respectively of the Harness Racing New Zealand Board, and have been replaced by Phil Holden and Cam Bray. Both John and Kevin remain on the Board. Mr McNaught will retain his current sub-committee chairing roles, but the change helps relieve him of some of his workload. Mr Holden is an Independent Director on the Board and Chair of the Finance Committee. He is also Chair of two other Boards,…
Strappers still hitting their hopples after all this time
By Rob Courtney When Maren Franco won her seventh race at Ashburton on Sunday for The Strappers Syndicate and trainer Leo O’Reilly, it marked the 34th win for a group of harness enthusiasts that started out in Mid Canterbury in 1980. Syndicate manager Chris Morrison (of Morrison’s Saddlery) reflected “after a group down south, I do believe ‘Strappers’ is the second longest surviving syndicate ownership group in the sports history.” The oldest is the Invercargill-based Setarip who started in 1969. “A few things have changed in the 40 odd years…
1.5 million reasons for Sires’ Stakes eligibility as July payments loom
Breeders and owners looking to maximise the value of their bloodstock investments have until July 1st to stake their progeny with foal nomination and yearling sustaining payments for Series 42 & 41 now due with the New Zealand Sires’ Stakes Board. Nomination and sustaining payments will also be taken for the time honoured Nevele R Fillies Series, Caduceus Club Fillies Series along with 3YO sustaining payments. Whether you are taking your bloodstock to the NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales or retaining with a view to racing, there are $1.5 million worth…
Mixed news for Herlihy’s two gun trotters
By Michael Guerin Trainer Tony Herlihy has swapped one trotting star with a pedal bone fracture for another as his two top trotters have passed like ships in the night at his stables. Bolt For Brilliance is now back in work with the northern horseman after missing six months because a pedal bone fracture suffered during the Inter Dominions in Victoria in December. But eerily around the same time he was coming back to the stable after recovering from his pedal bone injury, Herlihy’s other Harness Jewels winner Double Delight…
The Entain deal – what’s it all about?
By Michael Guerin The deal between the New Zealand TAB and Entain is the biggest in New Zealand racing and gambling history. We speak to Entain Australia chief executive officer Dean Shannon to find out what it means for New Zealand punters, the racing industry and his vision for sport and racing better in New Zealand. 1: Who are Entain and what do they do? Entain is one of the world’s largest wagering and igaming businesses. Worldwide we employ around 29,000 people in more than 30 markets, all of which are…
Second Swedish start for Just Believe
By Adam Hamilton Greg Sugars has plenty of unfinished business with Aussie trotting star Just Believe in Sweden. The pain and disappointment of striking trouble and galloping in a heat of the famed Elitlopp last Sunday week still stings. But they will team again, albeit in a lesser race, to chase some consolation in the $A85,000 Jamtlands Grand Prix in Ostersund, eight hours north of Stockholm, on Saturday night (NZ time). “The disappointment has subsided a bit. As we all know, everyone in racing goes through plenty of disappointment, but…