After a highly successful Central Otago circuit, southern harness racing returns to Ascot Park today for Macca Lodge Northern Southland Cup Day. Racing journalist Jonny Turner has zeroed in on five horses who look well placed on the feature race day. RUSH – Race 9 A hard and fit Rush could set up a challenging chase for the backmarkers in Northern Southland’s trotting feature.It’s well known chasing from handicaps can be a big ask around the tight-turning Ascot Park track.While others in the Southern Lights Trot have more impressive resumes, Rush comes…
Category: Meeting Previews
One Change out to feature today in Group 3
By Jonny TurnerOne Change will be out to break more than one drought when he starts in the Group 3 Macca Lodge Northern Southland Cup today. The Amber Hoffman-trained pacer gets an ideal opportunity to break through at group level for the first time since 2019 in the Ascot Park feature.Some harness racing fans may think One Change has been around forever, and for much of the past decade, he has. The former All Stars 8-year-old’s last group race win came in the 2019 group 1 Sires Stakes Final for…
Biggles swoops late in Ashburton Victory
By Mike Love Biggles brought up career win number two by winning the Phillips Family Handicap Pace over 2400m at Ashburton on Tuesday. Geraldine trainer John Murdoch was not surprised by the seven year old Tintin In America gelding’s effort. “We expected him to go good. But the ten metre handicap was the only worry,” said Murdoch. Driven by Ricky May, Biggles made a clean beginning from the ten metre handicap, racing handy early. Biggles and May were held up for the majority of the run up the straight before…
Two more trotters through to $30,000 Seddon Districts Final
After their wins at Nelson, Ready Set Jet and Knowing Me have become the latest horses to qualify for the $30,000 Seddon Districts Bob Rochford Memorial Trotters Series Final. The Bob Butt trained and driven Ready Set Jet was an impressive winner at Richmond Park on Friday as was Knowing Me on Sunday, completing a winning double for the meeting. Trained by Margo Nyhan, and driven by partner Peter Davis, the five-year-old mare’s two wins were especially meaningful for Nyhan as Knowing Me was bred and raced by her parents…
Hopes bring a truckload of value
Woodend Beach trainers Greg and Nina Hope head to Ashburton raceway today with a team of eight runners who will all have their say in their respective events. The Hope’s secured 45 winners last season, finishing seventh in the trainers premiership and will look to kick start their season with a range of chances today, all of which co-trainer Nina Hope suggests luck will be needed. First up in race two the Wattslea Farms Pace over 2400m is Christian Bale ($4.40FF) for Ben Hope. Coming in fresh and drawn two,…
“Other Awards” Contenders announced for HRNZ Awards
The remaining finalists have now been decided for the NZB Standardbred Harness Racing New Zealand Awards which will be held at Addington Raceway on Saturday, February 8. Last week the “Top Horse Contenders” were released. Today it is the “Other Awards” featuring Breeder of the Year, Owner of the Year, Pacing and Trotting Stallion and Broodmare of the year as well as this year’s Newcomer to Training and Stablehand of the Year. To see the “Other Awards” contenders please click here To see the “Top Horse contenders” please click here…
Momentum for Next Gen building in countdown to NZB Yearling Sales
With an additional $600,000 in bonuses annually for the next three years and funded by the TAB, the Harness Racing New Zealand’s Next Gen ownership initiative is gaining serious momentum, ahead of next month’s NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales in Auckland and Christchurch. Next Gen is all about getting more and new people into “Owning The Thrill” of racing pacers and trotters. “It’s important to emphasise that everyone is eligible to get involved, it is for newcomers to racing as well as those who have owned and raced horses for decades,”…
New Waikouaiti president wants “lift in energy”
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Jess Murphy wasn’t really expecting to be the new President of the Waikouaiti Trotting Club but now that she is, she is all in. “I’m really keen to get into it,” the 34-year-old says. She took over the job after being on the committee for the past “five or so” years. “I thought I’d be vice-president for a bit but when the president’s job came up my name was mentioned and it went from there.” As a Next Gen administrator she’s keen…
Bamford thinking big with stable star
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk North Canterbury trainer Tom Bamford is eyeing up more success at Blenheim this week after a training double at Nelson yesterday. Stable star Rakero Rocket and Light Me Up both won at Richmond Park to give the young trainer four wins from just seven starts so far in 2025. For Rakero Rocket it was his fourth win in his last six starts, highlighted by victory in the first ever Group 1 Christian Cullen at Addington in December. “He’s exceeded expectations,” says Bamford, “to…
Republican Party confirmed for Hunter Cup
By Adam Hamilton Auckland and Invercargill Cup winner Republican Party will chase the Group 1 Hunter Cup. Co-trainer Cran Dalgety confirmed the five-year-old would be on a flight to Melbourne on Wednesday for what will likely be a three-race Victorian campaign. Surprisingly, Dalgety said Republican Party would then return home rather than head to Sydney for a tilt at the Miracle Mile. “He’s earned a go at Melbourne. He’s taken that next step from a nice horse to one who will be competitive with the very best,” Dalgety said. “We’d…