Category: Harness

By Michael Guerin Showmethetanlines was more than just a super impressive debut winner at Addington on Friday night. He was living proof of the money that can be made by getting on the front foot with early season two-year-old racing. The first two-year-old race of the season saw trainer Ross Houghton provide the trifecta, two them owned by Dancingonmoonlight Farm, where he trains his horses. The winner was way, way too good, bolting in by four lengths with a 57.9 second last 800m to suggest this won’t be his last…

It’s two months to Cambridge’s Night of Champions – and already the night is shaping up as a trans-Tasman classic. The slot holders for both the $1m Race by betcha and the $600,000 TAB Trot on Friday, April 4 were released last night.   While the final make up of the races will depend on form and availability the two races will feature the best pacers and trotters from Australasia. The Race is likely to feature the likes of Leap To Fame, Merlin and Republican Party while Inter Dominion champion…

By Jonny Turner  Georgia Goodman took the pressure of driving a red-hot favourite in her stride when winning her first race in the sulky at Ascot Park yesterday. The 21-year-old produced a no-panic steer as Secret Agent Man dispatched his opposition in style in the Selling? Call Craig at Harcourts Junior Drivers Mobile Pace to create a memory the junior driver will never forget. Though winning her first race was already special, the reinswoman got an extra kick out of getting on the board with one of the favourite horses…

By Michael Guerin Steven Reid isn’t doubting Next Level’s class when he resumes at Addington tonight but he admits he isn’t so sure about his preparation. The smart four-year-old is a $2 favourite in the SBSR Tuapeka Lodge/Russell Nevill Mobile Pace at a meeting that will start earlier than scheduled so it can finish inside daylight hours as Addington beds in its new lighting system. Next Level hasn’t officially raced since finishing fourth in the New Zealand Derby on this track in early December, that form usually an indication a…

By Adam Hamilton  Nathan Purdon’s glamour pair Oscar Bonavena and Don’t Stop Dreaming have settled in well after arriving in Melbourne to take on Australasia’s best on Hunter Cup night at Melton.  Brooke Wilkins accompanied the pair on the trip across and Mark Purdon will fly in to take the drives on Saturday night. Nathan Purdon’s confidence varies greatly with the pair. “Don’t Stop Dreaming is not the easiest horse to train or get right for big races because he’s got his issues with his feet and joints,” he said. “I…

Craig “The Whale” Thompson shares his thoughts on Hawera today.    

By Brigette Solomon  After a year on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, junior driver Alicia Harrison is excited to finally be returning to the drivers’ ranks at day one of Hawera’s grass track meeting on Friday.  “It’s been exactly 12 months since I’ve driven at the races with last year’s Hawera meeting being the last I drove at and I’m really looking forward to getting back out there,” says Harrison. The 28-year-old, who is employed by Steve and Amanda Telfer at their Ardmore stable, had been off to a…

By Jonny Turner Molly Belwin’s last start third at Ascot Park has only kept looking better ahead of her return to the track on Thursday. The four-year-old is among a three-pronged attack Stonewall Stud are sending south for Invercargill’s twilight meeting. Molly Belwin worked hard in the last lap of her last run in the south before fighting on gamely for third behind Tabasco. Tabasco went up in grade to run a big second in the Riverton Cup on Sunday, while Molly Belwin has the luxury of stepping back in…

By Adam Hamilton  Kiwi greats Anthony Butt and Cran Dalgety know how to win a Hunter Cup. They also fully understand the importance of good barriers in modern-day racing, which is why their confidence has grown going into Victoria’s biggest race at Melton on Saturday night. Dalgety, who won the 2014 Hunter Cup with Christen Me, co-trains Auckland Cup winner Republican Party, who landed the coveted pole position while Butt, who boasts a record seven driving wins in the Hunter Cup, is caretaker trainer and driver of Mark Jones’ emerging…

These six horses have trialled pleasingly in recent weeks and this week (30/1/2025) they head back to the racetrack. Iron Brigade (4g Art Major – Trigirl Brigade) Tr. S & A Telfer Travels to Hawera this Friday for the Stratford Cup (Race 7) on the grass and warmed up for this assignment with a win at the Pukekohe workouts (23/1/25) against two stablemates, Double Jeopardy and Seaside Rose. Trailed in the heat before popping out near the 400m to challenge the leader, kept going strongly to get his head in…