Category: Meeting Previews

Harness racing will be represented by three finalists at the 2025 Ford New Zealand Rural Sports Awards in Palmerston North on Friday, March 7. The country’s top driver Blair Orange has made the cut for the PTS Logistics New Zealand Rural Sportsman of the Year, the record-breaking Sam Ottley is a finalist for the RX Plastics New Zealand Rural Sportswoman of the Year and Next Gen driver Carter Dalgety is a finalist for Fonterra Young New Zealand Rural Sportsperson of the Year. Orange secured his seventh consecutive Drivers’ Premiership with…

There are just two heats left before it’s determined who will make the $30,000 Seddon Shields Trotting Championships Final at Addington on March 21. The series, targeting R51-70 trotters, kicked off at Kaikoura last November and so far there have been eight heats around the top half of the South Island. The last two heats were at Blenheim in mid January. The final two heats will be at Westport on March 7 and then at Reefton two days later. A capacity field of 16 trotters will make the final. To…

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  A total of around 340 yearlings will go under the hammer at the 2025 National Standardbred Yearling Sales.  The sales kick off with 130 yearlings being  offered at Karaka in Auckland this Saturday, February 15 followed by a further 213 in Christchurch, three days later on Tuesday, February 18. “We are very happy,” says NZB Standardbred Manager Cam Bray, “the yearlings have presented in a very forward condition.”   Over the two days, numbers-wise Downbytheseaside will be represented by the most yearlings. He…

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  One of the country’s top drivers Sarah O’Reilly has been dealt some more bad news. Out of action since a trackwork accident at Ashburton Raceway last July, the Mid Canterbury-based driver has been told this week that she requires an operation on her arm and will be months away from resuming race day driving. “I got the result from the CT scan and it has not healed properly and they are going to put a plate into the arm,” O’Reilly says. It had…

Timaru Harness Racing Club president Gary Moir has got April 2 circled on his calendar – and he can’t wait. “It’s going to be a bit of history isn’t it?,” he says. The reason for his excitement is that it’s been agreed that the club will hold its first meeting on the grass track usually reserved for the gallopers at Phar Lap Raceway. Records show there hasn’t been grass track racing at Timaru since the original track was turned into an all-weather (grit) one in the late 1960s. “It’s something…

Sales graduates starring at the HRNZ awards, Harrison Orange’s slender lead in the Revell Douglas series and an eye-catching quinella all feature in this week’s News Briefs.  Sales graduates win big  With the NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sales getting underway at Karaka this Saturday it’s timely to note that Sales graduates claimed eight trophies during Saturday night’s NZB Standardbred-sponsored 2024 Harness Racing Awards at Addington. They were :  Merlin  – 4YO Pacing Entire/Gelding and Pacer of the YearMarketplace – 2YO Pacing Colt/GeldingRepublican Party – 5YO and Older Pacing Entire/GeldingBet N…

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk The Purdon Racing era in Canterbury is over. It’s been announced that the highly-successful operation will leave their state-of-the-art facilities in Rolleston and re-locate to the Pukekohe training centre in a barn formerly used by the now Canterbury-based Steven Reid. With Mark Purdon now living in the Waikato son Nathan has been mulling over his future for some time..  He was unsure what to do after their 28 hectare property was sold some time ago. It will be used as part of a…

The first of the ever popular Northern Metro Series for 2025 has been confirmed for March. The series, a key part of the Look North initiative to invigorate racing in the northern region, will kick off at Cambridge on Tuesday, March 4. The heats will cater for R35 to R45 3YO and older trotters and pacers, and will be worth $8000 each. The second round of heats will be held at Alexandra Park on Friday March 14, with the top four from each heat automatically qualifying for the $35,000 Final…

By Rob Courtney It’s a timely reminder with the up-coming NZB National Yearling Sales at Karaka and Christchurch, that winners can come from anywhere. There are a number of clear examples where top horses have been sold relatively cheaply through the sales arena, with NZ Cup winners Mainland Banner and  Copy That immediately coming to mind after being sold for less than $10k as yearlings. And just in the last week or so Chocolate Crunch won on debut at Rangiora after being passed in at the 2023 Christchurch Yearling Sales.…