Category: Harness

Racing journalist and presenter Michael Guerin’s five plays for Cambridge’s Night of Champions tonight. 1: The big one, The $1m Race by Grins. Don’t Stop Dreaming (R9, No.2) has more ways to win this race than his rivals and less ways to lose it. The $2 available is a fair price because if he leads he should win and even sitting in the running line he is the one to beat. 2: The other big one, the $600,000 TAB Trot. Callmethebreeze (R6, No.4) isn’t as safe a bet as Just…

Check out this week’s Box Seat with hosts Greg O’Connor and Michael Guerin for their Cambridge Night of Champions special.  

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  A brand new series targeted towards lower-rated, older pacers kicks off at Addington tonight. Called the Canterbury Plains Challenge Series, it is designed for 5YO and older pacers rated R35 to R39. Tonight’s first heat (8.56pm) features a capacity 14-strong field. “The idea was first proposed by Addington Raceway and after some analysis, discussion and wrangling we have come up with this,” says Harness Racing New Zealand’s handicapper Andrew Morris, “and so far the concept looks to have been well received.” There will…

Today’s Cheviot Businesses Cheviot Cup at Addington has changed complexion, and quickly. Back markers Franco Indie and Mossdale Ben have been scratched from the event and that’s seen a wide open market, with eight of the ten runners now in single figures. Franco Indie opened an early favourite for the 2600m feature and with him now out, Waimate Cup winner Mo’unga has come into a $4.50 favourite. There’s also a lot of support too for the likes of Heisenberg, Dashing Major and southerner Tact McLeod. The well bred Mo’unga has…

By Jonny Turner With two evenly matched horses, Tyler Dewe thinks race patterns could split his pairing of Jordy and South Seas Rock at Ascot Park today. The two pacers are set to start the first and second favourites for race 9, the meeting’s feature pace. Moving from standing start racing looks like a big advantage for Jordy who has missed away in several recent standing starts. After staging big recoveries in those recent runs in tougher fields, the ex-Canterbury pacer looks right up to winning today’s 2200m event. “The…

Check out this week’s Box Seat with hosts Greg O’Connor and Michael Guerin. 

By Adam Hamilton Caretaker trainer Cran Dalgety admits Thursday night will be a big learning curve for Aussie raider Rock N Roll Doo. The former Victoria Cup and Len Smith Mile winner opens his NZ campaign from a back row draw in the star-studded $60,000 McMillan Equine Feeds Pacers Flying Mile at Cambridge, against the likes of Don’t Stop Dreaming and Merlin. It’s a key race, just eight days out from the $1m Race by Grins, also at Cambridge. “He hasn’t been here long, but he’s a big, raw, rubber-neck…

The fields are out for this Friday’s Racing Rewards Easter Showcase at Addington. There are three races for the pacers and two for the trotters, each worth $30,000. The top 42 ranked pacers and top 32 ranked trotters nominated have been split into fields, based on ratings. The pacers will contest three races with 14 acceptors each, while in the trotting races there will be two races, with 16 acceptors each. Now in its third year, the very popular Showcase is all about rewarding intermediate grade trotters and pacers. To…

By Jonny Turner The biggest danger to Muscle Mountain in the Fred Shaw Memorial New Zealand Trotting Championship at Addington on Saturday could be himself. The star trotter clearly looks the horse to beat in the Group 1 event and is set to start at red-hot odds in the vicinity of $1.20. Muscle Mountain is such a clear-cut favourite that the biggest danger to his winning chances could be himself. On occasion, the seven-year-old has goofed around when clear at the end of his races and been nabbed on the…

The Whale reckons he’s found some winners at Wyndham today.