The second week of November is harness racing nirvana, and the next seven days will not disappoint.
A six race meeting at Manawatu today gets the week underway before all attention turns to the biggest day of them all at Addington Raceway tomorrow for four Group 1s including the $1m IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup and the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot.
Ashburton will hold its “Showcase” meeting on Thursday before it’s back to Addington on Show Day for four more Group 1s plus the first ever $500,000 slot races, the Hill Lee and Scott THE VELOCITY and the Majestic Horse Floats THE ASCENT.
Cambridge’s Friday meeting will see the Pacers’ and the Trotters’ Thames Country Cups as well as the Cambridge Tuesday Pacers Final for horses who have had two or more starts at Cambridge since August 1.
The harness racing week will round out at Winton on Sunday.
Houses in for big day at Manawatu
By Brigette Solomon
Trainer Michael House and son Wilson House look poised for a successful day as they team up with a strong line-up of runners at Manawatu today.
The Canterbury-based pair are a formidable combination when they head north to the Manawatu, last week scoring a winning double at the first of the Manawatu meetings for the month. Today the House stable starts seven runners, with Wilson driving five of them.
“Most of the team started at Kaikoura and have since been home preparing for today’s meeting,” says Wilson House, “they’ve been racing well, with a couple that will appreciate getting away from strong company in Canterbury.”
The team’s first starter is Son Of Patrick who contests Race 1, the Central Energy Trust Handicap Trot over 2500 metres. He starts the event off the unruly with a 40 metre handicap.
“He’ll have to get away alright but he’s a beautiful trotter and he’s been racing some very good horses down in Canterbury so should be capable of a good race here,” says House.
The Father Patrick gelding is a winner of eight races, and although he has been unplaced in his most recent races, he finished only 3.9 and 4.2 lengths from the winners at his last two starts at Methven and Addington, respectively.
In Race 2, the Book Your Xmas Function 12 December Mobile Pace, House drives The Next Best Thing. A new addition to the stable, the gelding has had just two starts for his new trainer, finishing fifth and third on those occasions.
“He’s gone a couple of great races and tries hard,” says House, “he lay in a bit last start, so we’ve adjusted his gear and I think he’s close to getting a win very soon.”
Both Jazzy Styx (1), driven by House, and Santanna Mach (4), driven by Crystal Hackett, line up in Race 4, the Racing Again 19th and 21st November Mobile Pace over 2000 metres.
“Both of these horses will be competitive in this race and given it’s a small field neither of them can end up too far back in running,” says Wilson, “they’ve both got good gate speed and Santanna Mach is well seasoned at Manawatu and looking to get win number 20.”
The pair have both been successful on this course, with stable veteran Santanna Mach having won here on four occasions and eight times over the 2000 metre journey.
House partners Courage Reactor in Race 5, he Captain Kirk Syndicate Mobile Pace. In her last start the mare placed fourth beaten only 2.2 lengths at Kaikoura on November 3 with a solid run in a race won by Post Painter.
“She’s been going good and has been unlucky in a couple of starts but she drops into a nice race here today,” says House.
In the final race of the day the stable has Eddie Osei (4) and Warloch (7) taking on the Good Luck American Me In Cup Mobile Pace over 2000 metres. The pair are driven by Michael Hay and House respectively.
“I think Warloch is one of my better drives,” says House, “although he’s drawn wide, it’s not going to matter much as he’ll be driven quiet early and settling back and it’s not a big field.”
The 10-year-old is a winner of 16 races, and has won on this course twice with a further four placings from just eight starts here. He most recently finished fifth in the Aged Classic at Kaikoura on November 4 with a solid form line from his starts prior at Addington.
“He ran a great race at Kaikoura last start and he’s such an honest old horse who loves this track and is capable of running some great sectionals on these smaller tracks.”
The first race gets underway today at 3.18pm.
