Category: Punting

Check out this week’s Box Seat with hosts Greg O’Connor and Michael Guerin.   

By Michael Guerin An almost perfect set of barrier draws has turned Friday’s $110,000 Dawson Harford Taylor Mile into one of the races of the season. The $110,000 sprint will highlight one of Alexandra Park’s biggest nights of the year sitting alongside feature races for almost all grades from country cups handicappers to juvenile pacers and trotters and the open class squargaiters. The latter, the $60,000 Lone Star Lyell Creek Stakes, looks a gift for Aussie hero Just Believe after his last-start victory in the $600,000 TAB Trot slot race.…

Southland’s premier harness racing event will go to a new level today with the first running of a Group 1 on Diamonds Day. Racing journalist Jonny Turner has picked out his horses to follow on the outstanding card of racing. Summit Ultra Summit Ultra opened at a tidy $7 win price in the fixed odds market for Sunday’s opener. On the strength of the pacer’s last start placing at Winton, that looks nice value. Summit Ultra showed excellent gate speed in his last outing, pointing to him being a big…

Diamonds Day at Ascot Park, Invercargill is Southland harness racing’s time to shine so we have produced a liftout complete with stories, selections and more. To see it click here 

By Mike Love Canterbury reinsman Tim Williams has a busy book of eight drives at today’s Ashburton meeting, and shouldn’t have to wait long before adding to his tally this season. He has 36 wins this year and is currently fourth on the drivers’ premiership. In the very first race of the day (11.53pm), the Chelsea Properties 2YO Fillies Mobile Pace, he reins the Steve and Amanda Telfer-trained debutante Sweet Maggie May ($1.55FF).The two-year-old daughter of Sweet Lou has trialled well, hitting the line with purpose in her most recent.…

By Michael Guerin Trotting training supremo Phil Williamson has just retired his best ever trotter but he has a new apple of his eye in at Alexandra Park tonight. Williamson’s multiple Group 1 winner Majestic Man has run his last race after 105 starts for 24 wins and $855,545 in stakes. His new trotting excitement machine Empire City has an awfully long way to go to get to Majestic Man’s level but she has started her career on the right trajectory with five wins from seven starts and winning juvenile…

By Michael Guerin Driver Bob Butt says Bet N Win is ready to confirm what so many have thought about him for a while at Addington tonight. “I am sure he is an open class horse in the making,” says Butt, who will partner the four-year-old in the Future Wealth Sires’ Stakes Aged Trot. “And I think he is ready to show it fresh up.” Bet N Win has the stride of a good horse for trainers David and Stacey White but hasn’t raced since a huge Alexandra Park win…

Check out this week’s Box Seat with hosts Greg O’Connor and Michael Guerin.   

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Two of Australia’s most successful drivers are about to go from the bright lights of Cambridge to the green green grass of Methven. Chris Alford and Greg Sugars will be Team Australia in the ANZAC 1800+ Series at Mt Harding on Sunday and will go head to head with two hometown heroes in Ricky May and Maurice McKendry. Both have strong Mid Canterbury links, McKendry was born and raised there before moving north to Auckland while May is a local through and through.…

By Jonny Turner The chance to take his hometown’s biggest piece of harness racing silverware awaits Jonny Cox at Winton on Saturday. Cox will return to his home patch with his exciting pacer Pinseeker who has the Winton Cup in his sights. If the trainer-driver’s raid from his base in Canterbury can be successful, it will mean a lot to him. “I always love getting back to Winton,” Cox said. “It is obviously where I grew up and learned how to drive.” “I always love coming back home, I still…