Every month HRNZ selects a breeder and owner of the month. It is done at random, with the only proviso being that their horse must have won during the month. November’s breeding winner was Grant Smith from Ashburton after Selsey Anne’s impressive win on debut for trainer Mark Jones at Kaikoura on November 4. The Lather Up two-year-old filly came from last to win at South Bay by a length for driver Robbie Close. She has not been seen on race day since. Stewart Gillan is the owner of the…
Category: Meeting Previews
Executive Officer – NZ Equine Education Trust
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Friday focus turns to Invercargill and Auckland
Friday’s Invercargill – Auckland double header will highlight harness racing action around the country this week. The $100,000 Group 1 Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup and the Group 3 Brendan Franks Farrier David Moss Stakes headline a huge day at Ascot Park before Alexandra Park hosts its first ever $1m Golden Gait meeting. There will be 10 $100,000 races. Invercargill’s meeting will start at 2.55, with Alexandra Park underway at 5.16pm. Today’s Addington meeting to kick start huge week The week starts today with a nine race Tuesday meeting…
Big raps on former Kiwi in WA
By Adam Hamilton Could Gary Hall Sr have another Im Themightyquinn? OK, that’s a huge call, but the champion WA trainer insists his latest star, former Kiwi pacer Mister Smartie, is second-only to “Quinny” as the best horse he’s trained. Mister Smartie, who has two starts for Craig and Aimee Edmonds in NZ for a win and a second, took his record to 15 wins from 18 starts when he toyed with his rivals in last Friday night’s $200,000 Group 1 Golden Nugget (2536m) at Gloucester Park. Despite sitting outside…
Bryce’s Meddle on Cup-winning streak
By Mike Love Woodend Beach trainers Robert and Jenna Dunn have Bryce’s Meddle flying. The four-year-old Terror To Love gelding made it career win number eight while taking his earnings up to and over $100,000 by winning the feature New World Rangiora Summer Cup on the grass at Rangiora. It was his second win in a row after securing the Geraldine Cup last week. Driver John Dunn was able to get safely away from their back mark of 20 metres before making the killer blow at the 1000m when they…
The big winners on ID Finals night at Menangle
The Locomotive could be full steam ahead to New Zealand, Luke McCarthy wins elusive final and Cantfindabettorman gets some consolation in today’s wrap of the Inter Dominion Finals at Menangle. By Adam Hamilton Owner Glen Holland will look seriously at a New Zealand trip with newly crowned Inter Dominion winner The Locomotive. Holland said now the $NZ650,000 TAB Trot was confirmed for Cambridge in April, it was a serious option. Like Just Believe the past two years, The Locomotive made a clean sweep of the series, winning all three heats…
Thornley completes AYDC win with dominant performance
Kiwi driver Sam Thornley had the perfect finale in clinching the Australasian Young Drivers’ Championships (AYDC) in Sydney last night. Driving in the first race on Inter Dominion Finals night at Menangle, Thornley teamed up with top Kiwi pacer Tact McLeod in the ninth and final heat of the championships and they left nothing to chance by leading throughout to win easily. It is Thornley’s first win in the championships, though he had finished second previously, and he became the sixth Kiwi to win the championships in the last 12…
Audacity the one to beat in Rangiora Summer Cup
By Mike Love Harness racing returns to the grass at Rangiora today with an entertaining 10-race programme set to get underway at 12:32pm. Headlining the card is the $25,000 New World Rangiora Summer Cup. Favourite for the race Audacity will look to keep his perfect Rangiora grass track record as he aims for more country cups glory. He’s won two from two on the grass at Rangiora and three from seven overall in 2024. McQueens Valley trainer Steve Harding is confident of a forward showing by his upcoming stable star.…
Thornley poised to clinch AYDC tonight
Kiwi driver Sam Thornley looks set to win the Australasian Young Drivers’ Championships in Sydney tonight. After winning one of the three heats at Newcastle last night he now looks to have an unassailable lead. He has 76 points overall, 16 clear of his closest challenger Jacob Duggan from Tasmania. The final heat will be held as part of the Inter Dominion Final night at Menangle with Thornley driving Kiwi pacer Tact McLeod at 8.23pm. Tact McLeod was withdraw from the Inter Dominions with an abscess and hasn’t started since…
Next stop Invercargill Cup for Mo’unga
By Michael Guerin Regan Todd is trying to not be greedy with Mo’unga. Which means while he could go Cups crazy chasing both the Invercargill and Auckland Cups in the next 17 days he probably won’t. Mo’unga won “an afterthought” race at Addington on Friday night and it was a pretty nice afterthought, the East West Fencing Summer Cup being worth a cool $40,000. He worked forward early to wrest the lead off Franco Marek and never looked in danger of defeat, cruising his last 800m in 55 seconds. “We…