By Michael Guerin It says a lot about just how special Keayang Zahara might be that she is almost the most hyped Australian at this New Zealand Cup week. And while the three-year-old Victoria trotter has a long way to go to match the heroics of now dual IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup winner Swayzee and or Renwick Farms Dominion Trot winner Just Believe, her New Zealand debut on Friday is almost as eagerly anticipated. The beautiful and bold Victorian trotter has been lured to Addington by the new $500,000…
Category: Harness
News Briefs : November 13
Cup day turnover increases Turnover from yesterday’s IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup was over $7m, up four percent on last year. Latest figures from the TAB show that total turnover was $7.2m for the 12-race programme, the second highest over the past decade, just behind the $7.5m from two years ago. The New Zealand Cup itself attracted turnover of $1.8m, with the Renwick Farms Dominion second at around $600K, up nearly 40 percent on last year. Final crowd attendance numbers have yet to be confirmed though Addington reports a sizeable…
Houses go four from seven at Manawatu
By Brigette Solomon It was business pretty much as usual, and expected, for the House juggernaut at Manawatu this week. “I’d anticipated they’d all go good races as most of them had been racing well and we had targeted this meeting for them,” says driver Wilson House, “but it was pretty awesome to get four winners.” All four were trained by his father Michael and went out as short-priced favourites. The Canterbury-based House stable has become well adept at travelling their horses to where they will be most competitive, with…
Swayzee’s big gamble pays off with back to back NZ Cups
By Michael Guerin The biggest gamble in New Zealand Trotting Cup history paid off at Addington on Tuesday. Just. Australian bully boy Swayzee outmuscled the locals to defend the title he won last year, fighting off Don’t Stop Dreaming in the iconic $1m IRT-sponsored race. The pair surged four lengths clear of Republican Party and a slightly disappointing Merlin, who after tracking the first two found this particular 3200m just a little outside his comfort zone. That Swayzee was in the race at all was a surprise and a stroke…
Great mates combine for Group 1 glory
By Jonny Turner Two great mates from Wyndham completed their climb to the top of New Zealand harness racing with Marketplace’s sensational win in the Group 1 Woodlands Stud Sires Stakes Series Final on New Zealand Cup Day. Marketplace proved himself to be a class above New Zealand’s two-year-old colts and geldings with his powerful winning performance for trainer Regan Todd and driver Craig Ferguson. Todd and Ferguson followed the same path into the harness racing industry, growing up in Wyndham and jumping the Menzies College fence to go and…
IRT New Zealand Cup Day – Race to Race
It’s NZ Cup day – harness racing’s biggest and most important meeting of them all. Today there’ll be 12 races, starting at 12.08pm, and there will be race by race coverage of them all as they happen. Be sure to check out hrnz’s social media channels as well to keep up to date. RACE 1 : $30,000 SAUNDERS ROBINSON BROWN HANDICAP TROT (3200M) Cup day 2024 is underway with a big wide open field of trotters over 3200 metres and fittingly it was seven-time New Zealand Cup-winning driver Ricky May…
Just Believe set to extend Kiwi trip
By Michael Guerin If you love a great horse the news out of the $400,000 Group 1 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot at Addington on Tuesday is good. If you have anything to do with New Zealand’s best trotters, not so much. Australian champion Just Believe came to Addington on Tuesday and did what he does, cruised to victory in another Group 1 for driver Greg Sugars. The hottest favourite of New Zealand Cup day was never in danger of defeat, having too easy a run but, more importantly, too large…
Selections | Cup day at Addington
Selections for Cup day at Addington Race Matt Cross Commentator Race 112.08pm 13 Eurokash5 Tu Tangata4 Sheza Gift12 Forgiveness Race 212.33pm 8 Dynasty6 Dave Duley13 Salute12 Shake A Leg Race 31.00pm 9 Gold Bullion7 Zoltan Boscik15 Matty A1 Julie Jaccka Race 41.32pm 9 Catch A Wave14 Ohoka Connor5 Wag Star4 The Big Lebowski Race 52.07pm 9 Duchess Megxit12 Treacherous Baby2 Classic Elegance11 Ruby Roe Race 62.42pm 16 The Lazarus Effect17 Rise Up N Dance2 Katherine18 The Coalman Race 73.14pm 2 Just Believe16 Bet N…
Well-travelled Swayzee primed for NZ Cup defence
By Adam Hamilton Trainer Jason Grimson is thrilled with the way Swayzee has handled his hectic schedule ahead of today’s $1m IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington Raceway (5.46pm). The defending Cup champion arrived at the Butt family’s Woodend Beach stables at 9pm Sunday night, after flights from Sydney to Auckland and then a connector down to Christchurch. “Looking at him, he seems great,” Grimson said yesterday. “It doesn’t look like he’s lost much weight at all. “I had him really well before we left and it’s just about…
Draws done for THE ASCENT and THE VELOCITY
Hotshot Australian trotter Keayang Zahara has drawn perfectly, at three, for Friday’s inaugural running of the Majestic Horse Floats LP THE ASCENT at Addington Raceway. The draws for both THE ASCENT and the Hill Lee Scott THE VELOCITY were made today. Keayang Zahara heads to this side of the Tasman after winning 11 from 11 since debuting in April this year and she is the clear top pick at $1.60. Drawn one Empire City is next at $5.50, with Paramount Kiwi, who’s drawn behind her, third favourite at $8. In…