Category: Harness

Vale Les Purdon

NZHarnessNews

By Bruce Stewart A member of New Zealand’s greatest harness racing family, Les Purdon passed away peacefully last week in Auckland. He was 83. Les was the youngest son of Hugh Purdon and like his brothers Roy, Sandy, Foster and Joe, he trained horses. For a number of years he worked for Hugh, and in 1958 he obtained a junior driver’s licence. His first winner came in June that year when he drove Dusky Valley to win for his father. Les ultimately drove 235 winners, his last being behind Galaxy…

Metro Series heats feature at Cambridge’s meeting today

NZHarnessNews

A seven race meeting at Cambridge today will kick off another busy harness racing week. The meeting, starting at 4.18pm, will include the latest round of the Metro Series heats for the pacers and trotters. Action then heads south to Oamaru tomorrow ahead of a Friday double-header at Auckland and Westport and then the weekend meetings at Invercargill on Saturday and Reefton on Sunday. So Mystifying returns in Metro Series heat at Cambridge  By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  Raceday temperament will play a big part in how So…

Nina Hope breaks training record with win at Rangiora

NZHarnessNews

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  With one milestone ticked off Nina Hope is now just one win away from another.  The Woodend-based trainer became the most successful female trainer ever in this country with Kowhai Summit’s upset win at Rangiora yesterday. That gave her 899 New Zealand wins, eclipsing the old mark set by Natalie Rasmussen, in partnership with Mark Purdon, between 2014 and 2021. Yesterday Kowhai Summit started well in the Mainstreet Sports Bar Rangiora Trot before settling into the one-one for driver Henry Sail. Turning for…

Qualifying trials midweek at Addington

NZHarnessNews

Harness Racing New Zealand and Addington Raceway have confirmed that qualifying trials are going to be held before Addington’s Tuesday and Wednesday meetings.  There will be a maximum of four trials, one of each gait, and a mobile and a standing start. The trials will be for only unqualified horses seeking to qualify. The trials will be held on :  Wednesday, March 19Wednesday, April 9Tuesday, April 15 Wednesday, April 30 Wednesday, May 7Wednesday, May 14  Nominations should be sent to Cameron Kirkwood at HRNZ by the day prior to the trials. He…

Kiwis not helped by draws in Miracle Mile

NZHarnessNews

By Adam Hamilton  New Zealand’s hopes of adding to its proud Miracle Mile strike look even slimmer after the barrier draw. Kiwi prospects were dealt a blow when NZ’s two best-performed pacers, Merlin and Don’t Stop Dreaming, failed to qualify for Saturday night’s $1m feature at Menangle. Pleasingly, lesser fancied pair Tact McLeod and Sooner The Bettor did make the cut. But the barrier hasn’t helped either of them, especially the emerging Tact McLeod. While the Mark Jones-trained pacer has terrific gate speed, he will start from gate six and…

Even field assembled for today’s Rangiora Classic

NZHarnessNews

By Mike Love  An exciting and even line-up will contest today’s $35,000 Robin & Geraldine Wilson Rangiora Classic. The 2600m feature on the grass (3.14pm) sees Pinseeker a $4 favourite for trainer-driver Jonny Cox, while last year’s winner Franco Marek will be looking for back to back Classics after a powerful fresh up display at Addington. He’s currently at $4.60. Looking to spoil the party is the Mark and Nathan Purdon trained Vessem to be driven by Blair Orange. The four-year-old Vincent gelding was gallant in defeat last time out…

Chanelle Dickie takes three to HOY

NZHarnessNews

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Chanelle Dickie is in for a busy week. Well-known in Canterbury equestrian and re-homing circles, as well as being a HERO Educator and Ambassador, “The Pink Lady” is driving to the Horse of the Year (HOY) at Hastings with three Standardbreds ahead of their competition next Thursday. “We’ll be all done in one day – it’s full on.” HOY is by far the country’s biggest and most prestigious equestrian event spanning six days of competition and featuring around 1400 riders in a variety…

Racing Rewards Easter Showcase confirmed for April 19

NZHarnessNews

The Racing Rewards Easter Showcase will return to Addington Raceway for a fourth time in 2025. Terms and conditions for the Showcase have been approved by Harness Racing New Zealand with five $30,000 races confirmed for Saturday, April 19. The series will be for 4Y0 and older horses, rated 57 and below on January 1,2025 with three races for the pacers (capacity field of 14) and two for the trotters (capacity field of 16). To qualify for the “finals” horses have to have had a minimum of five starts between…

Dunstan secures final spot in TAB Trot

NZHarnessNews

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  It could be racing’s perfect marriage. Dunstan Horse Feeds has just secured the eighth and final slot for the $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge’s Night of Champions on April 4 – and all they need is a horse. And Queensland trainer Graham Dwyer reckons in Not As Promised he has the horse for the big race – and all he needs is a slot. So could be a deal be done? Not so fast, says Dunstan’s founder/director Dave Smith. “We have a couple…

Beside Me and Bet N Win star at Addington

NZHarnessNews

By Michael Guerin Cran Dalgety has been here before. This time last year in fact with a filly who has so many similarities to his new rave pacer Beside Me. The three-year-old is causing heads to turn every time she steps on the track, the latest when she thrashed older opponents by five lengths at Addington on Friday night courtesy of a 56-second last 800m in the Breckon Farms Thanks Buyers Mobile Pace.  A big, strong daughter of Downbytheseaside and former outstanding filly Dream About Me, Beside Me is bred…