Green heads to Winton today with good winning chances

By Jonny Turner Kirstin Green is hoping she won’t be hit with any surprises at Winton on Saturday. Green starts her Diamonds Day runner-up Summit Ultra in a maiden mile event at the Riverton meeting. After chasing home the smart Secret Agent Man, the pacer looks a huge winning threat in an even field. Green just hopes her horse’s rivals don’t throw up too many surprises in race 2, the Riverton Racing Club Mobile Pace. “He really should be winning that race, but you never know.” “Some of the others…

Uncut Gems and Sires’ Stakes highlight Addington action tonight

By Mike Love  While Auckland will host three Group 1s tonight, Addington also has a high quality race night that includes three Uncut Gems races, and a Sires’ Stakes heat. Race 6, the Garrards Sires’ Stakes Series (Heat 4) features a small but high class field, headlined by the two Mark and Nathan Purdon-trained runners, Chase A Dream ($2.60FF) and We Walk By Faith ($3.60FF). According to the Purdon Racing website We Walk By Faith’s “work has been good” and from a “handy barrier draw is a top 3 chance”…

Tactics key in tonight’s two biggest Group 1s at Alexandra Park

By Michael Guerin The old saying “talk is cheap” isn’t exactly true when it comes to the biggest harness races. In fact, the pre-race could have a tangible effect on the outcome of the two huge Group 1s at Alexandra Park tonight. The pacing stars who have contested the Race By Grins and Taylor Mile in the last month get ready for Round 3 in the $110,000 Messenger Pace tonight while Aussie trotting hero Just Believe will be trying to make it three straight over the locals in the $110,000…

Auckland Premier Meeting Lift-out

With three Group 1s, Auckland’s Premier Meeting at Alexandra Park on Friday, May 3 promises to be a beauty. Included in the night’s action will be the Dawson Harford NZ Messenger, the Breckon Farms Young Guns Cardigan Bay Stakes and the Peter Breckon Memorial National Trot, all worth $110,000. So to help keep you updated we have produced a special lift-out with articles, selections and more. You can see it here  

Biggles set to fly high at Addington tonight

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk With four second placings from just five starts, Biggles is overdue to break maidens in Race 4, the Fahey Fence Hire Pace, at Addington tonight. The six-year-old has been a model of consistency with Geraldine-based trainer John Murdoch chasing an elusive win throughout Canterbury over the past month or so, since his debut second at Oamaru on March 24. At Ashburton on April 19 he went down by just a nose to Sister Love. His latest performance was another second, a head behind…

Aussies catch a break for Alexandra Park’s big night

By Michael Guerin Finally the Australian pacers get draws they can work with at Alexandra Park on Friday night. While Just Believe has dominated the major trots over the last month from handy enough draws (not that he needed them) the Australian pacing team of Speak The Truth and Better Eclipse haven’t been able to buy a draw in either the Race by Grins or the Taylor Mile last Friday. But that changes in the $110,000 Dawson Harford Messenger Pace this Friday when Speak The Truth gets barrier 1 over…

Aardies Express drifts in QEII Mile market

By Adam Hamilton As if facing Ladies In Red wasn’t a big enough challenge, buzz Kiwi mare Aardies Express will have to overcome a horror draw in Saturday night’s $200,000 Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Mile at Menangle. The barrier draw totally reshaped betting on Australia’s biggest mares’ race with Ladies In Red firming from $2.50 to $1.65 after landing gate two, while Aardies Express drifted from $2.50 to $3.40 from out wide in gate 11. She’ll start from nine if the emergencies come out. Ladies In Red’s driver David…

Ebury Street Tom Bamford’s best of the day at Rangiora

By Mike Love  Rangiora trainer Tom Bamford will line up four runners at today’s Rangiora meeting, including stable star Rakero Rocket in the Waimakariri Businesses Rangiora Winter Cup. Bamford kicks off his chances with his 100th starter to the races in race 2 the Anne Thompson graduation series for pacers, with heat one over 2600m. In this event Rakero Chase ($26.00FF) with Gavin Smith in the sulky. “She’s getting used to racing. We can put a line through her last start, but her first start she ran home good at…