By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk After 15 months away one of the country’s brightest talents Sarah O’Reilly will return to competitive driving at Addington on Friday night. “I definitely missed it,” says O’Reilly, “and I am ready and good to go.” The Ashburton-based trainer-driver has been off the scene since July 2024 when a horse literally jumped into her cart during trackwork, breaking her arm and causing other injuries. Since then the road to recovery has been a long and trying one. Some weeks ago O’Reilly got the…
Year: 2025
Harnesslink to continue under new ownership
Popular harness racing platform Harnesslink will continue, under new ownership. It has been saved by major Australian owner Mick Harvey after earlier concerns that it would close, with the loss of half a dozen jobs, if a new owner wasn’t found by last Friday. The Sydney-based businessman has stepped in to buy the website as Kiwi founder and long-time owner John Curtin looks to step away from the day to day business. “Harnesslink has been a trusted source of global harness racing coverage for more than two decades,” says Harvey.…
NZ Cup Week beckoning Buoyant
Stakes-winning sprinter Buoyant (NZ) (Dalghar) recorded his biggest victory during New Zealand Cup Week at Riccarton three years ago and owner-trainer Sabin Kirkland has designs on returning to the carnival with his gelding next month. The son of Dalghar was in a purple patch of form during that period, placing in the Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m) before winning the Gr.3 Stewards’ Stakes (1200m). He went on to win the Listed Hazlett Stakes (1200m) at Wingatui a month later, but his form dropped off when he campaigned in Australia. He returned…
Forsman positive ahead of Coongy Cup
Andrew Forsman’s mare Positivity (NZ) (Almanzor) will look to make her presence felt on the middle day of the Caulfield Cup Carnival on Wednesday, taking on the feature Gr.3 Coongy Cup Handicap (2000m). A placegetter in the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at three, Positivity joined Forsman’s Flemington stable on a permanent basis last term and took on serious Victorian company, winning the Gr.3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) before contesting the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), where she finished back in the 23-horse field. The daughter of Almanzor resumed in a competitive…
Legarto on song for Livamol
Trainers Ken and Bev Kelso believe their Group One-winning mare Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) is ready to fire in Saturday’s Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Ellerslie following a pleasing piece of work at Matamata on Tuesday. “She worked nice this morning on the course proper with Quintessa. Vinnie (Colgan, jockey) was quite happy with her work,” Ken Kelso said. Waikato’s wet spring hasn’t been ideal for Legarto’s preparation, with the daughter of Proisir finishing sixth in the Gr.1 Proisir Plate (1400m) at Ellerslie first-up before going one better in last month’s…
Shamexpress and the Ka Ying Rising Effect
At Windsor Park Stud in Cambridge, pride runs deep in the paddocks where so many champions have been nurtured. Among the stallions to have carried the stud’s hopes, few have left such a complex legacy as Shamexpress. A Group One-winning sprinter turned stallion, he is the sire of the world’s best racehorse, Ka Ying Rising, a fact that cements his place in New Zealand breeding history. Yet his story is also tinged with a sense of what might have been, for despite his talent as a sire, Shamexpress has battled…
It’s Punter of the Year time again
A new format’s been finalised for the TAB Show Day Punter of the Year Challenge at Addington Raceway. The Friday (November 14) meeting is always a massive part of Cup week and includes the two $500,000 slot races, the Majestic Horse Floats THE ASCENT and the Hill, Lee and Scott THE VELOCITY. This year’s Challenge will see one major change from previous editions – all transactions will be done on-line whereas last year teams were given a betting voucher and then had to bet on the tote. Each syndicate can…
Track re-surfacing complete at Ashburton
Ashburton Raceway has had a major makeover ahead of its huge finish to the year. An entirely new surface has been laid, with around 600 tonnes of material being replaced. The work was overseen by Harness Racing New Zealand’s Track Facilities Manager John Denton. “We had a slight delay to doing the work because of bad weather earlier in the month but the whole process went smoothly,” says Denton, “we are confident that the track will provide an excellent racing surface.” View track video here The Ashburton Trotting Club will…
HRNZ delighted with latest turnover figures
Harness racing turnovers topped $3.5m for three meetings in this country over the weekend, a big increase on previous years. The Akaroa Trotting Club’s meeting at Motukarara moved from Saturday in 2024 to Sunday and the impact on turnover was telling. Overall turnover was $1.34m, up 67 per cent, with nearly 6000 more punters placing a bet this year, compared to 2024. It attracted the second highest number of unique punters at any Motukarara meeting and beaten only by the Banks Peninsula Trotting Club meeting there in December 2023. The…
Guerin Report – S2 Ep. 7 Ft. Peter V’landys
In an exclusive interview, Michael is in Sydney to chat with the man who made The Everest, Peter V’landys. They discuss the richest turf race in the world, the NRL, the man himself, and PVL’s future in his various roles. Guerin Report – S2 Ep. 7 Ft. Peter V’landys