By Jonny Turner If she can continue her winning run at Ascot Park on Saturday, Hidden Talent will complete a long path back to Group 1 racing. The mare will be out to make it four consecutive wins when she starts the short-priced favourite in the Northern Southland Trotting Club’s feature trot, the Mark Jones/Gordon Sutherland Memorial Handicap Trot (4.07pm). Hidden Talent last headed to Addington to compete at Group 1 level in December of 2022 when she was as a three-year-old. Though her form has fluctuated since then,…
Category: Harness
Jason Grimson on tonight’s Miracle Mile – “it’s the race I want”
By Adam Hamilton Jason Grimson is growing in confidence his dual New Zealand Cup winner Swayzee can add a Miracle Mile to his stunning CV at Menangle tonight (11.45pm). Many felt Swayzee, one of the great modern day stayers, wouldn’t adapt to sprint racing, but he proved them wrong with a stunning 1min48.6sec mile qualifying win at Menangle last Saturday night. But a dramatic twist in the Miracle Mile barrier draw has the doubters emerging again. Swayzee drew gate two, which looked ideal, but moments later emergency Bulletproof Boy drew…
Santanna Mach’s remarkable racing record right around the country
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Santanna Mach is the very essence of the 1980s Tourism New Zealand slogan : “Don’t Leave Home Until You’ve Seen The Country” The grand old campaigner lined up for start number 224 at Westport this evening in the BP2GO Westport Team Teal Pace, finishing seventh with Rapid Response winning for Sam Ottley, her third victory for the day. In doing so he completed a truly remarkable feat. The 11-year-old has now raced at every active harness racing course around the country and…
Major Ouch and Claire Downey’s long-awaited success at HOY
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk It’s been years in the making and Claire Downey is still in a bit of disbelief that she and her “Mr Reliable” Major Ouch are Horse of the Year winners. Yesterday at equestrian’s biggest event, the Defender Horse of the Year show, the combo were crowned NZ Standardbred Breeders Association Ridden Standardbred of the Year at Hastings. “It was a shock to the system, I can’t really believe it,” says Downey, “but I’m stoked to have won it with him.” Over the…
The 2025 Breeding Season – “we can stabilise and eventually rebuild”
HRNZ Chief Executive Brad Steele says there is still room for optimism despite the fall in breeding numbers for the 2025 season. Latest figures show that a total of 1552 individual mares have been bred to, a drop of 12 per cent on last year. “Breeding numbers have been under pressure over the past two decades,” says Steele, “and it is disappointing to see a double figure decrease. We have to own that but there are encouraging signs that we can stabilize and eventually rebuild.” The total for 2025 is…
Westport and Alexandra Park in Friday double-header
Friday sees an unusual double-header with Westport getting underway at 1.56pm and an eight race card at Alexandra Park at 5.42pm. Sam Ottley returns to Patterson Park after her heroics there in December while Duchess Megxit, the 3YO Pacing Filly of the Year, starts a new campaign up north. Duchess Megxit returns after tough week for top trainer By Michael Guerin Training legend Barry Purdon is hoping this weekend goes better than last and he has two of his stable stars with opportunities to put a smile back…
Nikita Burton claims first driving win
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk As first wins go Nikita Burton’s was about as easy as they get. “It was such a thrill,” the 18-year-old said after Seaside Rose cruised to victory in yesterday’s Placemakers Mobile Pace at Oamaru. Driving for her employers Steve and Amanda Telfer, Burton went forward with the four-year-old mare to sit parked. The combo stayed there throughout before clearing out to a two length win, ahead of fast finishing Classie Linc. “This is a performance,” said commentator Craig Rail, “without cover over 2600…
The Box Seat – March 4
Check out this week’s The Box Seat
Delightful Peg and Selsey Anne dead heat at Oamaru
By Jonny Turner Delightful Peg may have snuck under punters’ guards when winning the first heat of 2025’s Macca Lodge and Nevele R Stud Southern Oaks series at Oamaru yesterday. Trainer Brad Mowbray now has the luxury of being able to time his run into Group 2 final of the long-running championship after his filly sustained a big run win in a dead-heat victory. Fellow Canterbury horseman Mark Jones is in the same sweet spot after Selsey Anne charged home wide out to level with Delightful Peg right on…
Tact McLeod heading for the front in Miracle Mile
By Adam Hamilton Master driver Anthony Butt thinks his only real hope of winning Saturday night’s stellar $1 million Miracle Mile (11.45pm) is to be aggressive and daring. It is something Butt is good at and ultimately, it is the only reason he qualified emerging Kiwi pacer Tact McLeod for a start in the strongest Miracle Mile this century. Butt blasted Tact McLeod out from a wide draw in the strongest of last Saturday night’s two qualifiers and miraculously found a spot behind the leader Merlin before being shuffled to…