By Jonny Turner Success on and off the track continued for Southland breeder-owner Megan Reidie when Macandrew Markup completed back-to-back wins at Winton on Sunday. The pacer had run into all sorts of bad luck before breaking through at Wyndham a week prior. Macandrew Markup then showed his fortunes had completely turned around when scoring again in the Winton’s Middle Pub Mobile Pace for Reidie’s partner, trainer Jeremy Douglas, with his son Hayden in the sulky. “He had been knocked over a couple of times and had plenty of…
Category: Harness
Rough And Ready “nice and fresh” for tonight’s Wairarapa Cup
After all the Group 1 action and the prestige of Addington’s biggest carnival of the year there’s a change of pace for the next week, though no shortage of harness racing action. There will be seven meetings in six days right across the country, with Manawatu hosting the first of its two meetings tonight with the feature being the $20,000 Wairarapa Cup. Sandwiched between the two meetings is Rangiora on Wednesday with Invercargill and Auckland on Friday. The meeting at Alexandra Park will feature the latest round of the $16,000…
Just Believe staying on this side of the Tasman – for now
By Adam Hamilton Australia’s loss is New Zealand’s gain. In an absolute coup for NZ’s upcoming feature meetings, champion Aussie trotter Just Believe will stay in NZ rather than chase an historic third successive Inter Dominion title in NSW. Co-trainers Jess Tubbs and Greg Sugars made the final call today after days of uncertainty. “It’s been a really tough call, not because of Just Believe, but more the two pacers (Better Eclipse and Hes From Heaven),” Tubbs said. “There was no real upside in NSW for Just Believe, not when…
Sires’ Stakes update – November 18
The NZ Sires’ Stakes Board congratulates the winners over IRT NZ Cup Week & especially the: Woodlands Stud NZ Sires’ Stakes 2YO C & G Final – MarketplaceNevele R Stud 3YO Fillies Final – Treacherous BabyDunstan Horsefeeds NZ Sires’ Stakes 2YO Fillies Championship – Captains MistressIRT NZ Sires’ Stakes 2YO Trotters Championship – Meant To BeBob McArdle NZ Sires’ Stakes Southern Mares Classic – Dance Till Dawn The Board also wishes to advise that 2YO Sustaining Payments have been emailed/posted but these are not due until Monday, December 2, 2024.…
Fredastaire gets breakthrough victory at Ashburton
By Mike Love Waterlea trainer Allan Shutkowski inched ever close to 50 career wins when when Fredastaire was successful at Ashburton’s Cup Week Showcase meeting on Thursday. Handled superbly by driver Jim Curtin, the three year old Ultimate Machete gelding was able to secure an economical run in the Spraymarks Roadmarking and Traffic Management Mobile Pace. He was then presented at the top of the straight to chase down tearaway leader A Better Jackalack to win in a close finish. Fredastaire stopped the clock at 2:58 for the 2400m with…
Williamson back in action after Group 1 success
By Jonny Turner Don’t be too surprised if you don’t see another winning salute from Nathan Williamson at Winton on Sunday. The trainer-driver will be back racing in the south, fresh off producing his first Group 1 training victory with Captains Mistress in the Dunstans Sires Stakes Series Final at Addington on Show Day. Williamson gave a very rare salute as he crossed the line, completing what could be considered an overdue elite-level victory considering his outstanding talent and record as a trainer. While it may have appeared the horseman’s…
Keayang Zahara puts on show at Addington
By Adam Hamilton The Aussies only snared the one win on Show Day at Addington Raceway, but it was the one that stole the week. Keayang Zahara’s mesmerizing win in the $500,000 Majestic Horse Floats LP The Ascent also capped the greatest NZ Cup Week in history for Aussie raiders, winning three of the “majors” with the 10-horse team who crossed the ditch. Swayzee did his thing, again, in last Tuesday’s IRT NZ Trotting Cup. The way he did it was just so Swayzee. Defying his daunting travel and racing…
Merlin ends week on high at Addington
By Michael Guerin This one meant just that little bit more. Maybe it was because Merlin’s win in the $200,000 Allied Security New Zealand Pacing Free-For-All came at the end of a statement day for trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan. They had earlier won New Zealand’s first $500,000 slot race, the Hill Lee and Scott THE VELOCITY with Better Knuckle Up and the $120,000 IRT Sires’ Stakes Trot with Meant To Be, both also driven by Zachary Butcher. After a frustrating last fortnight that felt good, the exclamation mark…
Oscar Bonavena upsets the champ in Free For All
By Michael Guerin There was a lot of head shaking going on in the Addington stabling block after Oscar Bonavena finally restored some level of New Zealand harness racing pride on Friday. The reigning Trotter of the Year raced like it for the first time in months when he sling-shotted Aussie hero Just Believe in the $100,000 New Zealand Trotting Free-For-All. After Muscle Mountain led and kept running Just Believe had to race parked and a pearler of a drive from Blair Orange saw Oscar Bonavena stalking him on his…
Oscar beats “Harry” in Trotting Free For All
Oscar Bonavena has done what many thought was impossible – and that’s beat Just Believe – at Addington this afternoon. The Mark and Nathan Purdon-trained star was helped by a perfect Blair Orange drive as Oscar Bonavena had his third win in the Group 1 Livamol New Zealand Trotting Free For All. The eight-year-old slotted into the one-one with Just Believe sitting parked outside the pace-making Muscle Mountain. In the end Just Believe, known as “Harry”, just couldn’t finish it off as Oscar Bonavena reeled him in to secure his…