By Dave Di Somma – Harness News Desk Today marks the start of the fourth Teal Pants campaign. This year there are some fresh faces in Team Teal, including a new first. For the next six weeks (Feb 1 – March 14) the annual campaign will be held, with the first race meeting at Addington this Thursday (Feb 4). At every meeting every win by a female driver will see donations from the relevant club and $100 each from Harness Racing New Zealand and Woodlands Stud. All proceeds go towards…
Month: February 2021
McCarthy plans Hunter Cup assault
by Adam Hamilton Luke McCarthy looms as the key driver on Hunter Cup night. McCarthy and his wife Belinda will take five of their stable stars down from NSW for Victoria’s biggest meeting. Along with Hunter Cup runners King Of Swing, Alta Orlando and Star Galleria, McCarthy confirmed Australia’s best mare, Bettor Enforce, and Chariots Of Fire favourite Expensive Ego will tackle Group 1 races. King Of Swing capped his Cup preparation with a 2300m Menangle free-for-all win on Saturday night, but didn’t look quite as sharp as he can…
Banner provides timely win
By Jonny Turner Grass track specialist Hurricane Banner provided a birthday victory and a timely boost with his win at Methven on Sunday. Driver Ellie Barron celebrated her 26th birthday in style when the eight-year-old ran to his eighth career win in race 12. The victory provided a timely boost for Southland couple, trainer Shane Matheson and partner Lisa Barrie, after they walked away from a potentially fatal road accident recently. Barron was delighted to be able to land a winner for the pair in what has been a…
Majestic mauls them
By Adam Hamilton YOUR first Group 1 winner is special to every driver, but this one had so many layers for Brad Williamson. It came in another country, on his favourite horse, against odds that COVID-19 have created and in the most stunning fashion. No wonder Williamson flourished his whip with a victory salute as sailed past the winning post aboard Majestic Man in the $50,000 Dullard Trotters’ Cup at Melton last night (Saturday). The win also broke Majestic Man’s Group 1 hoodoo, finally snaring a win at the ultimate…
Flying ‘Ferdinand’ wins Lightning Frank Derby
Photo by Daniel Thorogood. Rising star Ferdinand Boy has only contested 22 races but is drawing early comparisons with his famous ‘uncle’ – 2018 G1 Melbourne Cup and 2018 G1 Harrison-Dawson winner, My Redeemer. A five-time G1 finalist, My Redeemer won 25 races from 51 starts and $681,805 in stakes. He was also a 2019 G1 Australian Cup finalist – so, Ferdinand Boy is following in illustrious pawprints! Trained by David Geall, Ferdinand Boy (Jan ’19 Fernando Bale x Nayla Swift) showed why he’s one of the hottest young prospects…
Fun times in Cranbourne heats
Ian and Maureen Brown are optimistic homebred contender It’s Not Fun can provide them with their second Group 2 Backmans Greyhound Supplies Cranbourne Cup finalist in three years on Saturday night. The Browns, who are based at Loch in Gippsland, have two runners in the Cup heats. It’s Not Fun, which has won two of her last three starts at Cranbourne in best of meeting time, is an $8 chance in heat three, and veteran 2019 Cranbourne Cup finalist Wears Woodleigh, is a $34 outsider in the second run-off. “It’s…
GRV refutes claims made by Greyhound Adoptions WA
Greyhound Racing Victoria strongly refutes the allegations made by Greyhound Adoptions WA on social media recently. The claims stated that GRV’s Greyhound Adoption Program handed greyhounds to the RSPCA which then needed to be rehomed in WA. This is incorrect. GRV has a strategic welfare program which ensures the greyhounds welfare is always put first. Victorian greyhounds are rehomed through our own Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP), private rehoming agencies in Victoria and the participants themselves.
Williams pair on target for Group One assignments
Promising three-year-olds Slave To Love (NZ) (Savabeel) and Il Affare (NZ) (Dundeel) provided trainers Peter and Dawn Williams with plenty of encouragement ahead of some upcoming Group One assignments when producing solid performances at Pukekohe on Sunday. Savabeel filly Slave To Love ran away from her rating 65 opponents over 1600m to register her second win from four starts while Il Affare was equally impressive when finishing close up in second over the same distance in rating 74 company one race later. Both horses hold nominations for the Gr.1 Al…
Probabeel set for Melbourne campaign opener
Quality galloper Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) will kick off her summer campaign in Melbourne this Saturday when she contests the Gr.3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield. The four-year-old Savabeel mare travelled to Australia last week in preparation for a three-race assignment culminating in the A$5m All Star Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley on March 13. Trainer Jamie Richards is pleased with how his charge has settled into her new surroundings as she goes about her work before her campaign opener this weekend. “She will be nominated for the 1200 Group…
Bary back to his best
Back in full swing after being sofa-bound for three months, it’s onwards and upwards for astute trainer John Bary. The Hastings horseman had a quiet spring by his standards, even though it included a Group One victory in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) with Callsign Mav (NZ) (Atlante). But his team is starting to get moving with the arrival of summer, highlighted by a pair of victories on Wellington Cup day with Bold Iris (NZ) (The Bold One) and On Show (NZ) (Showcasing). Bary needed a couple of operations to…