Category: Meeting Previews

By Jonny Turner Champion reinsman Blair Orange has won nearly all of New Zealand’s most prestigious races in recent seasons, but if he is able to claim victory in the Canada Stakes it might just top them all. Orange will compete in the newly conceived event named after Canada Broad, who has been battling terminal cancer this year. Canada’s father, Jason Broad, is not only a very popular figure in southern harness racing circles, he is the general manager of the Southern Harness Racing organization and a good friend of…

By Michael Guerin If you have a trotter who isn’t quite doing things right here is your early Christmas present: The Master has room at the inn. Freakish trainer of trotter Paul Nairn was doing what he does best at Ashburton on Thursday, training and driving El Conqueror to win a lower grade trot. But while Nairn is absolutely still the man with trotters, due to a few unforseen circumstances he has a couple of stalls free, which is rare for him. “This time last year I had too many…

By Michael Guerin In a sport of great comebacks few, maybe none, can match Ricky May. The enormously popular Mid-Canterbury horseman heads to Invercargill today to partner favourite Beach Ball in the $110,000 Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup, the only group 1 race in New Zealand this weekend. May is enjoying being a serious player in our biggest races again, a role he held for three decades thanks to horses like Inky Lord, Iraklis, Christian Cullen, Monkey King and Terror To Love. They helped make May the most successful reinsman…

Craig “The Whale” Thompson is back with his best for Invercargill    

Jonny Turner’s  selections for Invercargill.                Race   Jonny TurnerRacing Journalist  Race 13.36pm 8 Hot Saucy Betty9 Bill Bootit16 Joeking Race 24.12pm 2 Bowlem Over 1 Scruffy 13 Nek Delight 10 Durrant Race 34.44pm 4 Moonlite Dream8 Aint No Angel13 Kikorangi Blue7 Tayla Me Race 45.16pm 7 Bring On The Muscle10 Imperial Man9 Pyramid Mystic14 Aroha Kenny Race 55.54pm 4 Treacherous Baby1 Mallory Maguire7 Ruby Roe6 Always Ticking Race 66.34pm 10 Oscar Bonavena9 Majestic Man7 Smokin Bandar4 Aveross Majesty Race 77.02pm 1 Amore Infida8…

By Michael Guerin Trainer David Butcher says there is a very good reason he isn’t driving Caulfield on his home track at Cambridge today. “I thought I should put Benjamin on to keep him happy since we working together now,” laughs Butcher. The father and son (Benjamin Butcher) have kind of teamed up at David’s property, where they both have horses. “I’d say we are working in together,” says Butcher. “Ben has a few of his and helps with mine and he does the odd breaker too. “A while back…

By Michael Guerin Colin DeFilippi would love to give Katie Cox a small Christmas present at Ashburton today. DeFilippi and his wife Julie are looking after talented two-year-old pacer It’s Tough for regular trainer Cox as she undergoes treatment for cancer. Cox’s battle is well known in harness racing and the DeFilippis have three of her horses to in work until Cox is back ready to resume training. “Katie used to work for us and we loved having her here,” says Colin. “We were admant she should go to university…

Industry Update – What the Board are Talking About from Mauro Barsi, Chief Operating Officer December 2023 I begin this report by wishing our CEO, Gary Woodham, the best for a swift and full recovery from his recent medical event. We know that he is on leave until at least February next year and remain excited about seeing him back in the office and on track again soon. Code FundingCode Funding is up for renegotiation and we have had our first meeting already. We are particularly focussed on ensuring that…

Media Release : Kapiti Coast Harness Racing Club Race Day Thursday 4th January 2024 The Kapiti Coast Harness Racing Club holds its annual harness race meeting at the Otaki Racecourse on Thursday 4th January 2024 in conjunction with the Otaki Maori Racing Club as a dual code race meeting. This is the fourth occasion on which this has occurred in recent years. Gates open at 10:30 a.m., and the first race is at 11:27 a.m. It is anticipated that there will be six harness races on the programme, with a…

By Jonny Turner After his scintillating Group Three victory on Grand Prix Day, it is clearly an advantage for Beach Ball heading into the Group One Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup. The pacer heads south for trainer Brendon Hill and driver Ricky May after running away from his rivals to win the Summer Cup Free-For-All, crucially beating his main Invercargill Cup rival in Self Assured. Self Assured now faces the big task of turning around that defeat, which came off level marks from behind the mobile, while giving Beach Ball…