Category: Meeting Previews

Bryce’s Meddle on Cup-winning streak

NZHarnessNews

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

NZHarnessNews

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

NZHarnessNews

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

NZHarnessNews

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

NZHarnessNews

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

NZHarnessNews

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…

Zev Meredith claims first Group 1 in big upset

NZHarnessNews

By Michael Guerin A battling trotter has started a path to the Group 1 winners circle for young trainer Zev Meredith. Meredith joined that special club when One More Moment got up in the last stride to win the first running of the $100,00 TAB Queen Of Diamonds Trot for fillies and mares. It caps a remarkable set of Group 1 trotting wins for driver Greg Sugars, who has dominated our biggest trots for all of 2024 but probably didn’t think One More Moment would be adding to his G1…

It’s ID finals time – who are the horses to beat?

NZHarnessNews

By Adam Hamilton   Menangle trainer Jason Grimson is trying to cap an amazing finish to the year by doing what only harness racing royalty have done in the Inter Dominion. Grimson, just 29, won his second successive NZ Cup last month with Swayzee and is chasing his third Inter Dominion pacing final in the space of four years when he lines up Curly James and Nerano in tonight’s $500,000 feature at his home track. If successful, Grimson will join Hall of Famers, Kiwi Mark Purdon and Brian Hancock as…

Big upset in Queen of Diamonds

NZHarnessNews

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  A clearly overcome Zev Meredith was all but lost for his words after winning his first Group 1 as a trainer at Alexandra Park tonight. He’d just watched his six-year-old mare One More Moment win the TAB $100,000 Queen of Diamonds, the first ever Group 1 for trotting mares. Driven by visiting Australian Greg Sugars, of Just Believe and Better Eclipse fame, One More Moment was three back the fence before overhauling the favourite Con Grazia Love in the shadows of the post.…

Cambridge slot races confirmed for 2025

NZHarnessNews

Waikato-Bay of Plenty Harness Racing Incorporated’s two slot races, The Race and TAB Trot have been confirmed for 2025. The races will headline the renowned Night Of Champions meeting at Cambridge Raceway on Friday April 4. “We’re excited to confirm both races will be run again,” Cambridge Raceway CEO Dave Branch said. “It will be the fourth edition of The Race and the second running of the TAB Trot. “This meeting has become a highlight of the Australasian Harness Racing calendar and New Zealand racing calendar. We’re immensely proud of…