Author: NZHarnessNews

Racing is set to return to the all-weather track at Gore on September 28. At this week’s HRNZ Board meeting it was decided that the Gore all-weather track could be used again as a race day venue while the current National Venue Plan is underway. The final plan, which will guide how races and resources are distributed across New Zealand’s racing venues, is expected to be delivered by October 2024. The all-weather track at Gore has not held meetings since 2020, though has been retained as a busy training facility…

By Jonny Turner Huki Fella put adversity well behind him when he registered the first siring victory for Lord Forbes at Wyndham yesterday. The three-year-old impressed when powering home from off the speed to beat a handy line up for trainer-driver Craig Ferguson. Huki Fella is partly raced by the man behind his sire Lord Forbes, in Gavin Forbes. Forbes owned and raced Lord Forbes who won 11 races during an 118-start race track career. There were no grand plans for Lord Forbes to join the country’s siring ranks once…

By Michael Guerin If you think impressive Cambridge winner Coastal Babe still looks like a work in progress you should have seen her four months ago. The daughter of Downbytheseaside smashed some of the north’s best juvenile pacing fillies in her Dunstan Horsefeeds Sires’ Stakes heat on Thursday night, winning easily from a brave Ultimate Racy Girl and the favourite Kiss, who was three wide for the last lap. But as good as the placegetters were Coastal Babe won too easily in the hands of Matty White to suggest it…

By Jonny Turner Established Group 1 performers will take on a wave of hopefuls from the intermediate grades in the New Zealand Cup’s second qualifier of the season at Addington on Friday night. B D Joe and Republican Party are among the biggest of names out to seal their starts in the country’s greatest race with victory in the New Brighton Cup. Republican Party returns for trainers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety after trialling nicely in his only recent hit-out. Though the Dalgetys would have preferred to trial their four-year-old again,…

As we build up to racing’s biggest week of the year we will take a weekly look at the trials to see who’s doing what between now and New Zealand Cup and Show Week. Today’s installment is from the trials at Rangiora on Wednesday, September 6. Darby (3f Art Major – The Fascinator) The as yet unqualified filly trained by Trent Yesberg and piloted on this occasion by Carter Dalgety quickly made the front and comfortably held her opposition at bay, running her last 800m in 57.1, 400m in 27.2.…

By Rob Courtney Well known Canterbury harness owner and breeder Hazel Van Opzeeland is actually of Scottish heritage and was born in New Zealand but through marriage developed a Dutch connection. The popular racing identity will have three runners going around at Addington this Friday night including the unbeaten two-year-old Vessem, a horse she bred, then sold, then bought back into when secured by Mark Purdon at the 2022 National Yearling sales. The Vincent – Imke B (Bettors Delight – Lughnasadh) colt will be shooting for the perfect five from…

The terms and conditions have now been confirmed for two breeding bonus schemes recently announced in Harness Racing New Zealand’s 2023-24 Funding Document. The Fillies and Mares Breeding Credit Scheme (FMBCS) and NZ Bred Breeding Bonus Scheme (NZBBBS) came into force on August 1, 2023. HRNZ has budgeted a total of $750,000 for the two schemes per annum. The FMBCS is intended to encourage the retention of Fillies and Mares, who have lived and raced in New Zealand, for breeding once they have finished racing, while the NZBBBS, as the…

By Michael Guerin All bad draws are not equal heading into two sparkling juvenile races at Cambridge tonight. The two-year-old season in the north ramps right back up for both the fillies and the boys with Sires’ Stakes heats within an hour starting at 7.26pm. The boy’s heat in particular looks very strong for this early in the campaign and sees the return of two of the stars of the early season in Breckon Farms Final quinellamates Cold Chisel and Escape Artists for trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan, who…

By Jonny Turner It is easy to forget that one of the stars of New Zealand harness racing is just a baby. That’s how driver Tim Williams describes Aardie’s Express who will take her spring campaign in a new direction at Winton today. The classy mare is set to start at red-hot odds ($1.20FF) in a mobile mile that features the return of another big name in Robyns Playboy. Aardies Express was set to win her last start at Addington before she broke before the home turn. Williams blamed himself…

Here’s Greg O’Connor with the latest Addington News.