The momentum towards Ashburton’s first ever harness 5000 meeting is really starting to build.
After the weekend’s racing, a total of 69 horses have now meet the eligibility criteria – an increase of 32 on last week.
The biggest category is the 18 5YO Pacing Entires and Geldings who have qualified.
The Harness 5000 at Ashburton on December 21 will feature 12 $60,000 finals for trotters and pacers whose sire stood for an advertised retail service fee of $5,000 or less in the breeding season of conception.
This year the qualifying period is from July 3 to December 9, 2025 and to be eligible horses must compete in at least five race day starts within this period.
To see the harness 5000 leaderboard click here
Smiths’ double celebration at Addington
By Brad Reid
Phil and Christine Smith had double the reason to celebrate at Addington Raceway earlier this month when they enjoyed a rare race-to-race double with a pair of horses they not only bred, but own and race.
The Coaster Howe-trained duo of Berretini (Sportswriter) and Cormoran Strike (Creatine) have been stalwarts through the winter months, and their latest exploits not only rewarded their connections with winning cheques, but also booked both horses’ eligibility in the lucrative $60,000 Harness 5000 Series Final at Ashburton in December.
For the Smiths, it was a night to remember. “It was fantastic. Coaster had been tipping us out for a few weeks, and of course Cormoran can sometimes disappoint you, then come out and win like he’s supposed to. He went better than expected really, especially with the run he got. To get two in a row on the night was unbelievable. We made full use of the winning owners’ bar,” Christine laughed.
Few horses in the country have raced as consistently as Cormoran Strike, who chalked up his seventh career win last week. The flashy black squaregaiter has been in the money in five of his last eight starts, and has raced no fewer than 25 times this season alone.
“After he didn’t go that well one night, Coaster changed things around and just worked him every week. He thrives on racing. Those 1980m races don’t hurt him at all. He’s been like a wee cashflow card and quietly joined the six-figure club,” Christine explained.
But the trainer still believes there’s more in the tank. “Coaster thinks the world of him and knows he’s better than what he’s shown at times. That’s the frustrating thing – he’s got more in him, but he doesn’t always show it. That’s just the horse.”
Cormoran Strike is the fourth foal from Fancy Pants (Sundon), who arrived at the Smiths’ property by way of a debt owed. “Dennis Price owed us some money and signed her over. She left a good one first up. We had some bad luck after that – one had an accident, another didn’t work out. We ended up selling her, but we’ve recently got a Speeding Spur filly out of her from a free service I won at the breeders’ night, so that’s how the filly came about.”
Where Cormoran Strike has made his mark with durability, Berretini is carving a path as pacer worth following. The three-year-old became the first male pacer of his age to qualify for the Harness 5000 Final after his tough victory at Addington, sitting parked for much of the 1980m trip before digging in to score by half a neck under Robbie Close.
“Friday night was huge – he was left parked the whole way and still dug in to win. He’s still green, but he’s learning,” Christine said.
Berretini hails from one of the Smiths’ most productive mares, Midnight In Paris (Christian Cullen), a three-race winner once trained by Kevin Fairburn. She’s left six winners from nine foals of racing age, including the open-class pacer Nandolo (Betterthancheddar), who now races in North America and has banked over $1.1 million.
“We didn’t race Midnight In Paris ourselves. Trevor Welham owned her and bred the first foal. When he went overseas we acquired her. She’s been a terrific broodmare. Paris tends to leave giants, so we went back to Sportswriter as a smaller sire and Berretini turned out a damn nice horse.”
Coaster Howe rated him highly enough to line up as a two-year-old, but immaturity got in the way. “He tied up – just immaturity – so we gelded him and put him aside for three. This winter he’s thrived and shown he’s above average.”
Of course, Berretini’s half-brother Nandolo left the Smiths with some of their proudest racing moments. He started in a New Zealand Cup, placed at Group 1 level, and before bleeding issues forced his sale, showed he could mix it with the elite.
“He gave us some great thrills. Betterthancheddar did a bloody good job with the stock he got and the numbers he had. Nandolo’s proof of that. Even this season as an 11-year-old he’s won six races. We bred sound horses and he’s proof of that.”
The Harness 5000 Series, designed to reward breeder-owners supporting value stallions, has been a timely boost for people like the Smiths. “It’s a good idea because it might keep some of the smaller breeders in the game – those breeding on a budget but wanting to race their horses,” Christine said.
While they never set out to chase the scheme, their philosophy has always been pragmatic. “Bettor’s Delight priced himself out of reach – you’ve got to have a very good horse to get your money back. The mares we’ve got are genuine and they seem to leave winners, so as long as the sire is reasonable they cross well.”
So what’s next? “We’ll probably look at Kaikoura, his brother Nandolo won there, then maybe Cup Week. We can’t just sit around waiting for the 5000 final. He’s still green, so racing will improve him.”
And as for their broodmare band, the Smiths aren’t slowing down. “We were going to cut back, but mares are hard to shift. Nobody wants them. At the moment we’ve got five, including Happy Harper who bowed a tendon and will go to stud. No trotters, unfortunately.”
With a history of producing tough, sound horses and a broodmare band still ticking over, the Smiths are proving that breeding to race can be as rewarding as it is enduring. Last Friday at Addington was proof enough: two horses, back-to-back wins, and a reminder that sometimes persistence – like the horses themselves – pays off.
Their story also stretches back to two of the open-class trotters of the 2000s, Whatsundermykilt (Sundon) and Glenbogle (Armbro Invasion), both bred and raced in partnership with Kevin Fairburn. Between them they earned just under $1 million in stakes, delivered Group 1 glory, and gave the Smiths unforgettable days at the races, cementing their reputation as breeder-owners capable of producing horses that last the distance.
