What was worth noting from the trials from all over the country for the week ending 26/9/2024 Wyndham Workouts-Saturday 21 September Race 1 – Styrax (5m Creatine – Larix) Trainer Mrs G McClymont Just the three runners faced the tape, and it turned into a two-horse affair with the talented Fiery Bandito leading Styrax for the last half of the heat.Both travelling well at the line with Styrax arguably travelling just as well behind the six-race winner at the line. Although a maiden from 14 attempts to date, suggested has…
Category: Meeting Previews
Del’s back at Gore today
By Jonny Turner The path to the Group 3 Dark Horse Trot starts at Gore on Thursday for Del’s Creation. The towering trotter is back in action from a well-earned freshen-up in Race 5, the Udy’s Grain and Feed Limited/ Regional Ford Gore Handicap Trot (3.19pm), after making giant strides in the autumn and winter for trainer Lyndon Bond. Bond is hoping Del’s Creation can make even more progress as her first attempt in Group race company approaches. The inaugural running of The Dark Horse will be run at Ascot…
IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup qualifiers get serious at Addington
By Michael Guerin It is Grand Final qualifier night at Addington this Friday. Not that the high-grade meeting is actually called that but it might as well be for plenty of the starters in the $60,000 Lamb And Hayward Canterbury Classic. The 2600m standing start is the latest in a series of almost identical races in the south in the last six weeks, all of them aiming toward the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup on November 12. The difference is this one boasts three golden tickets to the Cup and…
Tuesday at Cambridge launches harness racing week
Tuesday racing at Cambridge will kick start another busy week of harness racing. Today there’ll be eight races, starting at 4.30pm with four more meetings this week with Gore on Thursday, followed by Addington and Auckland (Friday) and Timaru on Sunday. Auckland’s meeting will feature the third heat of the latest Silk Road series for the Fillies and Mares. Part of a strategy to revitalise northern racing, the Silk Road Northern Spring series is in its first year and is all about encouraging, and rewarding fillies and mares with five…
Marc Cookson’s best at The Mot
Grass track racing returns this Sunday to the Banks Peninsula Trotting Club meeting at Motukarara, with the feature race being the Tactical Approach D G Jones Banks Peninsula Cup at 3.58pm. Trackside presenter Marc Cookson casts his eye over the 12 race card. Race 1 – Jean Anderson Memorial Trot (11.37am) With a 50% place record in his 12 start career, with the same percentage placing on grass, Schoemaker is the one for me showing his versatility in racing and ability. In a maiden trot at “The Mot” I am…
Whale Watch – Motukarara
Craig “The Whale” Thompson is back with his best for Motukarara
Merlin and Empire City return at Alexandra Park and Addington tonight
It’s Friday night and the big guns, including Merlin, are back at Alexandra Park tonight while top trotting filly Empire City returns at Addington as she plots her way to THE ASCENT later in November. Merlin and strong Purdon/Phelan team fronting up at Alexandra Park By Michael Guerin Scott Phelan finds himself in the unusual position of holding the key to beating his favourite horse in tonight’s $40,000 IRT Spring Cup at Alexandra Park tonight (8.49pm). Phelan and senior training partner Barry Purdon have a huge team at tonight’s meeting…
Father Barry continuing family legacy for Dickie
By Joshua Smith, Trackside.co.nz This spring, regally-bred trotter Father Barry will be looking to atone for a late blunder which cost him Group 1 success in autumn. The three-year-old son of Father Patrick looked to have his opposition covered when he turned for home with a length advantage in the Group 1 Breckon Farms Northern Trotting Derby (2700m) at Alexandra Park in May, but lost all chance when breaking with 150m to go. It was an untimely mistake by the promising youngster, who had won on debut at Alexandra Park…
Green with plenty of chances at Winton today
By Jonny Turner Kirstin Green is due a change of trotting luck at Winton on Thursday. The trainer-driver links up with Emily in race 6, the Hospitality Options Available 021351499 Handicap Trot, after the mare went to the line hard held in her stable debut after shifting south over the winter. Green’s stable star Fiery Bandito copped even worse luck when wiped out on the first bend in his spring debut at Addington recently. So don’t be surprised if luck is taken out of the equation when Blair Orange takes…
Poutama enjoying success at Cambridge’s Tuesday meetings
Six races at Cambridge tonight will kick start another busy harness racing week. Auckland’s Friday meeting will see the 2YO Pacing Fillies battle it out in the $107,000 Group 1 Caduceus Club Classic and the return of Merlin and co in the $40,000 Spring Cup while the 3YO Trotting Fillies will be in action at Addington in the $60,000 Macca Lodge Sires’ Stakes Classique. Big wide open fields will be the order of the day at Motukarara on Sunday – among the highlights will be the $40,000 D G Jones…