By Michael Guerin On face value Addington’s iconic Show Day meeting yesterday looked like any other major race meeting. It was anything but. Peruse the results and you would see superstar trainers Mark and Nathan Purdon trained the winners of both the $300,000 Dominion with Oscar Bonavena and the $200,000 New Zealand Pacing Free-For-All with Self Assured. Nothing unusual in that, after all they trained two Group 1 winners on Tuesday too and usually pick up a couple at our major meetings. That fact Oscar Bonavena finally won one of…
Category: Punting
Oscar Bonavena delivers emotional win in Dominion
By Jonny Turner Nathan Purdon could only think of one person when Oscar Bonavena swept past his rivals to win the Group 1 Dominion at Addington on Show Day. The injury-plagued trotter was at his scintillating best when unleashing an incredible burst of speed to win the most sought-after prize in New Zealand trotting. Oscar Bonavena was raced by the patriarch of the Purdon harness racing dynasty, champion trainer the late Roy Purdon, until his death in February of last year. Nathan Purdon, who trains the speedster in partnership with…
All Stars claim two of the three Group 1s on Show Day
It’s been another successful day for the all-powerful All Stars (Purdon Racing) with wins in two of the day’s three Group 1s on Show Day at Addington. Mark Purdon guided Oscar Bonavena to victory in the Dominion Trot, while Tony Herlihy and Self Assured upset stable-mate Akuta in the Airpark Canterbury Free For All. DUNSTAN HORSEFEEDS SIRES’ STAKES SERIES FINAL (MOBILE PACE) (Gr1) The first of the afternoon’s three Group 1s was for the two-year-old fillies and it was an all the way win for Our Shangri Lana. Trained by…
Empire City strikes In Classique
By Mike Love Oamaru trainer Phil Williamson was pleased but by no means surprised when Empire City was simply too good for her rivals in yesterday’s listed Macca Lodge Sires’ Stakes Fillies Classique at Ashburton. “The draw was my main concern. But I’m scared of nothing as far as the fillies go. She’s as good as any of them,” said Williamson. The Volstead filly had to avoid an early galloper at the dispatch before settling at the rear for driver Ricky May. May eased off the rail at the 1000m,…
Smokin Bandar going “better than ever” ahead of Dominion
By Jonny Turner It didn’t start as the perfect preparation but it will be if Southland trotter Smokin Bandar enters harness racing’s history books at Addington on Show Day. Southland-trained trotters have been unable to make their mark in the Dominion in the modern era, but Smokin Bandar gets the chance to buck that trend on Friday. When the flashy grey battled to match it with a middling bunch of Brisbane’s best trotters during a Queensland winter campaign, he didn’t exactly look on track to be a major threat to…
Thames Country Cups headline Cambridge meeting
By Brigette Solomon Minutes after Show Day racing at Addington concludes, The Thames Country Cups meeting gets underway at Cambridge Raceway. The two feature races of the night are Race 5, 7.59pm The Dunstan Thames Trotters Cup and Race 7, 8:51pm The IRT Thames Pacers Cup. Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett bring two horses to compete for the Dunstan Thames Trotters Cup over 2200m, Kiwitrix and Melsadele. The latter was somewhat unlucky in her last start after being held up in the final stages to finish fourth at Alexandra Park…
The Dominion Trot – 50 years ago
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Trotting’s premier race dates back to 1911, and 50 years ago the great Jack Smolenski won his first and only Dominion Trot. Driving the back marker and favourite Philemon Smolenski completed a notable Cup week double. One of all-time great drivers Smolenski had won the 1973 New Zealand Cup with Araphao on the Tuesday and then doubled up with Philemon in the Dominion three days later. Starting off 15m, the combo went forward after just 600 metres before being taken on in the…
Michael Guerin’s best bets at Addington today
Show Day is another massive day at Addington, highlighted by the three Group 1s – the Renwick Farms Dominion Trot, the Dunstan Horse Feeds Sires’ Stakes Series Final for the 2YO Fillies, and the Airpark Canterbury NZ Pacing Free For All. To help out Michael Guerin has selected his five of the best. 1: Muscle Mountain (R9, No.15): Adding pull-down blinds to his gear seems to have super charged his already impressive motor. Traffic looks his biggest concern. 2: Akuta (R11, No.1): The Cup runner-up looked a great chance in…
Princess Sadie set for Classique
By Mike Love Princess Sadie will be out for listed level spoils today as she looks to win the Macca Lodge Sires’ Stakes 2YO Fillies Classique at Ashburton today. Princess Sadie has been very strong in her three career starts to date, including showing some blistering gate speed to lead from wide out at Addington last time. Oamaru trainer and driver Matthew Williamson is going in with some confidence. “She came through that run really well. She seems to be handling the racing at this stage. She hasn’t had the…
Big draw upgrades for many for Show Day features
By Michael Guerin Most of the big-race favourites for the massive Show Day meeting at Addington should not have to repeat the Group 1 heroics we saw on Cup Day. Because while the winners of the Group 1s on Tuesday all came from the second line to record astonishing winning performances on Friday most of the big names who could draw well have. The obvious exception is hot favourite Muscle Mountain in the $300,000 Renwick Farms Dominion as he had to draw wide on the second line as he starts…