Category: Harness

Every week we look at the trials and workouts from right around the country. Who’s impressing and who looks ready to race? Pukekohe Workouts Saturday 25th NovemberWeather Fine Track fast Major Achievement (3g Art Major – Atom Queen) The Green-trained runner settled third of five and stayed there until stablemate and pacemaker Beaudiene Rocknroll went off stride 600m out, took the opportunity to take over and kept going strongly to hold his rivals at bay. MR:2:03.9, 800m in 59.0, 400m in 29.6. Maiden win was four starts ago and looks…

Nominations are now open for the Stablehand of the Year Award to be awarded at the annual NZB Standardbred Harness Racing NZ Awards night on 19th February 2024. Nominations can be sent in by trainers who employ a stablehand who always goes the extra mile, has the horses best interests at heart, always puts in 100% and and has a fantastic working attitude. All nominations must be emailed to courtney@hrnz.co.nz by Thursday 7th December at 5pm. Nominations must include a couple of paragraphs as to why you are nominating and…

NEXT stop New Zealand for Australia’s top three-year-old trotter Not As Promised. Father-son training team Graham and Layne Dwyer said they were looking forward to facing the best of the Kiwis after Not As Promised snared his second Group 1 victory of the season at Melton last night. First came the Victoria Trotters’ Derby as a rank outsider, but Not As Promised was a $2 favourite when he worked to front and won as he liked in the $75,000 Breeders Crown final last night. “It’s a relief to get this…

By Mike Love Betterwithbling got a well deserved win when he won the Moore Walker Davey Searells Accountants Mobile pace at Banks Peninsula yesterday. West Melton trainer Jesse Wederell could not be happier with the result. “He always tries his best! I’m very very happy with him,” said Wederell. Betterwithbling, the 7 year old Betterthancheddar gelding, went forward off the gate and sat parked the entire journey for driver Carter Dalgety. At the top of the straight Betterwithbling took the race to pacemaker Flyaway, which escalated into a dog fight…

By Mike Love Deny Everything scored a well earned victory when he won the Tyre General Timaru summer cup yesterday at Phar Lap raceway. The Mark Jones trained seven year old A Rocknroll Dance gelding capitalised on his good manners, securing the trail all the way with driver Samantha Ottley before peeling off the back of pacemaker and placegetter Heisenberg, to win by 1 and a quarter lengths from runner up Tanzania. “It was awesome. Very satisfying, Said Ottley. “We’ve all had to be so patient with him. Everyone is…

By Mike Love Samantha Ottley is poised to bring up her 700th driving win today at Banks Peninsula with seven solid chances. Coming into today’s meeting off the back of a Timaru Cup victory yesterday behind Deny Everything, Ottley is sitting on 699 wins in the sulky, and is hopeful of some success today. “I had been sitting on 698 for a while until yesterday, so now on 699 it’ll happen when it happens and it will be what it will be. But hopefully I’m not stuck on it for…

NEW Zealand Cup hero Swayzee will take his place in the Brisbane Inter Dominion. After much debate and uncertainty, trainer Jason Grimson has confirmed Swayzee will headline a team of pacers he is taking to Brisbane for the opening round of heats at Albion Park on Friday night. Grimson is trying to become the first trainer to win three successive Inter Dominion pacing finals with different horses after Boncel Benjamin won in Sydney in 2021 and I Cast No Shadow did it in Melbourne last year. And Swayzee is aiming…

by Michael Guerin Idolou’s improvement curve has been so steep trainer Nicky Chilcott almost feels embarrassed about her next target. “One of her owners and breeders Tom Rodewald always has an end of year staff party at Alexandra Park on Queen Of Hearts night,” says the Cambridge trainer. “So he wants her to race in the Queen of Hearts. I know it sounds silly but, you know, why not.” If you had never seen or heard of Idolou (you are not alone) and only saw her win at Alexandra Park…

by Mike Love Ashburton trainer Laurence Hanrahan will head to Phar Lap raceway today with some solid chances, including Mighty Flying Lou in the Timaru Nursery Stakes for 2 year olds. The Sweet Lou colt kept up the lethal Laurence Hanrahan/Ricky May combination when he won on debut at Ashburton last week, and will look to go back to back today with Gerard O’Reilly in the bike, while Ricky May is sidelined through suspension. “He’s trained on well since Ashburton. But it is a nice field today,” said Hanrahan. Hanrahan…

Breeding enthusiast Don Rae continues his series of Behind the Breeds where he looks at recent qualifiers who have interesting pedigrees. In this article he looks at Millie Let Loose and Black Billie Gee. Millie Let Loose – Mount Hutt Trotting Club meeting on Sunday, 12 November. Qualifying second in her trotting heat was Millie Let Loose, a 2 year old filly by local sire Superfast Stuart from the Grant Our Wishes mare Foot Loose. Foot Loose won just the once from 36 starts; her victory came at Manawatu in…