Category: Harness

Check out this week’s The Box Seat   

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…

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…

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  She’s the gift that keeps giving. On Tuesday at Cambridge 10-year-old mare Highview Rockn Roll made it career win number 10 when she took out the Wednesday Quiz Night At the Clubhouse Handicap Trot. Coincidentally she’s also had 10 seconds and 10 thirds as well from 82 career starts.  “She’s bred to pace but she trots good,” says trainer Donald Cossey, “she’s only small but she’s tough.” Making her efforts all the more noteworthy is that the Rock N Roll Heaven mare didn’t…

Another milestone looming for Gerard O’Reilly, the return of the Duchess, the Otago and Southland Awards winners and Addington Raceway’s Owners Night all feature in this week’s News Briefs.  One down one to go for O’Reilly Ashburton trainer-driver Gerard O’Reilly is on the brink of achieving two milestones in quick succession. He clocked up his 200th training success when he drove Bettor Be Sharp to a gutsy win in the Woodlands Stud Thanks Buyers Mobile Pace won at Addington last Friday and now sits on 698 as a driver. His…

By Jonny Turner  Kentuckiana Lodge will begin chasing down spots in the best southern age-group features starting at Oamaru today. Trainers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety and driver Carter Dalgety will start the favourite for heat one of the Macca Lodge and Nevele R Stud Southern Oaks in Justyouwait. The three-year-old looks to get the perfect opportunity to qualify for the Group 2 final of the series when starting from barrier 2. “She should get her chance on Wednesday, there shouldn’t be too many excuses for her from that draw,” Carter…

Harness Racing New Zealand is urging a “change of mindset” around racing young horses. From October 1 2025, yearlings can go to the trials and qualify though they won’t race until they are at least two. “Prior to the birth-date change three years ago 2YOs could qualify from August 1 and the first lot of 2YO races were programmed for mid-late October, so it isn’t that major a change,” says HRNZ’s Head of Racing and Wagering Matthew Peden. “It just involves a change of mindset among owners, trainers and licence-holders…