One of the country’s most successful jumps jockeys in Mathew Gillies will make a welcome return to the riding ranks at Wanganui on Sunday. Originally hailing from Palmerston North, the Auckland-based hoop won the National Jumps Jockeys’ Premiership in the 2013-24 season and has steered home a total of 101 winners, including six in Australia. Through this period, Gillies won a number of prestige races while also spending time on the sidelines through injury, but it was the COVID-19 outbreak that kept him out of the saddle after Grand National…
Day: 9 May 2025
Tomodachi leading Wexford charge in mares’ feature
Wexford Stables will head to Arawa Park on Saturday with the defending Gr.3 Rotorua ITM Stakes (1400m) champion Karman Line, but her stablemates won’t be making a repeat crown an easy task. The biggest threat on recent form is Tomodachi, a shortening $2.90 race-favourite who earned her first black-type credentials when booming home into third in the Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m). The daughter of Tarzino recorded impressive sectionals in that event on a Soft5 track, and with conditions likely to worsen, trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott are…
Pinseeker vying to be a Superstar at Addington tonight
By Michael Guerin Pinseeker may have started in the biggest race of the year but his grand final fortnight actually starts tonight. The five-year-old has been one of our major pacing improvers this season, developing from promising intermediate grade pacer to a big-race player. That was most clearly emphasised in the $1m Race by Betcha last month when he finished fifth, a week after sitting parked to finish third in the Flying Mile also at Cambridge. He drops back in grade for what is still a very strong Continental Event…
Fillies take centre stage at Alexandra Park tonight
By Michael Guerin If Alexandra Park races true to recent form for tonight’s $200,000 Magness Benrow Sires’ Stakes there may be less winning chances in the Group 1 than it appears at first glance. Because while the race is the strongest of the three-year-old pacing fillies season so far the girls covering the least ground should hold a huge advantage. Tonight’s meeting caps a golden six weeks for northern harness racing but the most obvious trend has been the biggest race winners almost always coming from on the marker pegs.…