Category: Harness

Ken Ford clocks up win number 200

NZHarnessNews

There was a bit of history repeating itself for Ken Ford at Motukarara on Sunday. The veteran trainer brought up his 200th training success when Misty Blue, driven by grand-daughter Sheree Tomlinson, rushed home to win the Happy 21st Toddy McDermott Mobile Pace.  The milestone came after his daughter Amanda, Sheree’s mother, drove his 100th training success with Zachary Binx in the Banks Peninsula Trotting Cup on the same track 10 years ago. “We were excited as hell,” he says when describing Misty Blue’s win. Now 76, Ken Ford has had…

Dalgety fired up for Ultimate Driver Competition

NZHarnessNews

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk   Carter Dalgety’s excited, and upbeat, about what he calls his “biggest” challenge to  date. The 21-year-old heads to Brisbane this week to take on some of the world’s best in the first ever Ultimate Driver Championship at Albion Park.    Ten drivers will take part in the 20-race series on Friday and Saturday with the top points-scorer at the end taking home the $100,000 first prize.  At the recent Harness Racing New Zealand Awards at Addington Dalgety, the country’s top junior driver in…

Sunday twilight to kick off at Manawatu

NZHarnessNews

The first of Manawatu’s new look Sunday meetings will be held this weekend. Three twilight Sunday meetings have been scheduled between now and the end of their season in May. They are on February 23, March 30 and April 6. Each of the Sunday meetings is teamed up with a Tuesday meeting two days later, while the club has a series of Tuesday-Thursday meetings as well. “We have had successful Sunday afternoon meetings before. They are good family days,” says Manawatu Harness Racing Club President Dan Lynch, “and these meetings…

Yearling sales head south after Karaka record-breaker

NZHarnessNews

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  Christchurch has a hard act to follow after Karaka’s record-breaking success on day one of the NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sales. On Saturday sales exceeded $5.7m, including 18 lots that sold for $100,000 or more. Christchurch on Tuesday is a  bigger sale numbers wise with around 200 yearlings, compared to 125 in Auckland.   Leading the charge at Karaka was Stonewall Stud with boss Steve Stockman spending just over $1m on the day including a record-breaking $360,000 for the top two lots, two Captaintreacherous…

Varenna Franco gives Leacock-Jones first training win

NZHarnessNews

By Mike Love  A lot of excitement greeted Greendale trainer Norm Leacock-Jones’ first training success at Banks Peninsula yesterday. “We were all jumping up and down because we thought we’d got second – so when the announcer called her in first we couldn’t believe it,” said Leacock-Jones.   In Race 3, the Seahorse Supplements Seahorse Mobile Pace, John Morrison eased Varenna Franco back from her outside draw to settle back of midfield in the running line. A couple of mid-race lead changes improved their position to one out one back…

Gutsell grabs quinella in Gore Cup – “a huge thrill”

NZHarnessNews

By Jonny Turner  Insarchatwist upstaged her younger siblings when cruising to victory in the Gore Town and Country Club Gore Summer Cup yesterday. The eight-year-old sped through underneath her brother Hacksaw Ridge, with the pair sealing a quinella in the feature event for trainer Ricky Gutsell and his racing partners Neil and Eualie Thwaites. The trio had already produced a significant accomplishment before the standing start tapes were released in the Gore Summer Cup. The quinella pairing of Insarchatwist and Hacksaw Ridge were joined in the 2750m feature by another…

Aussie News – February 16

NZHarnessNews

By Adam Hamilton  It wasn’t the night the Kiwis hoped for at Menangle. Better Knuckle Up and We Walk By Faith finished fourth and fifth respectively in the Hondo Grattan Stakes, meaning they will have to back-up next Saturday  to try and snare spots in the $200,000 Group 1 Chariots Of Fire field. They were both sound runs in a race dominated from the front by last year’s TAB Eureka runner-up Bay Of Biscay in a scorching 1min49.8sec mile. Driver Cam Hart bustled Bay Of Biscay out from gate one…

Tomlinsons with good drives at Gore and Motukarara

NZHarnessNews

Sisters Kerryn and Sheree Tomlinson both look to have good chances at today’s two grass track meetings at Gore and at Motukarara. Tomlinson thrilled to drive Homebush Lad in Gore Summer Cup    By Jonny Turner  A week ago Kerryn Tomlinson wouldn’t have guessed she would be linking up with two of the most talented horses stepping out on Gore Summer Cup Day today. The Oamaru reinswoman has almost been in a game of musical sulkies this week, but she certainly has no complaints about landing the drives behind Homebush…

Tomlinson lands top drives at Gore

NZHarnessNews

By Jonny Turner  A week ago Kerryn Tomlinson wouldn’t have guessed she would be linking up with two of the most talented horses stepping out on Gore Summer Cup Day on Sunday. The Oamaru driver has almost been in a game of musical sulkies this week, but she certainly has no complaints about landing the drives behind Homebush Lad and Jimmy Carter. Homebush Lad will be out to add to his incredible record in grass track features in the Gore Town and Country Club Gore Summer Cup. The veteran pacer…

Swayzee beaten and Don’t Stop Dreaming dominates across the Tasman

NZHarnessNews

By Adam Hamilton  Dual New Zealand Cup winner Swayzee is set to switch course and chase the Miracle Mile after his shock Albury Cup defeat last night. Driver Cam Hart said he struggled to steer Swayzee around the tight Albury track at top speed with classy Victorian pacer Captain Hammerhead smashing the track record time in front. Swayzee was struggling rounding the final bend when Captain Hammerhead pinched a six-metre break, but Swayzee just kept coming and to get within a neck. They broke the track record by five seconds.…