By Adam Hamilton The lone mare in the race, from a harness racing backwater and bred by a hobbyist won the world’s richest harness race at Menangle last night. Encipher was bred at Kadina, a South Australian town just over 5000 people, and only got into the field for the $2.1mil TAB Eureka a few weeks back when another SA-owned pacer, Cobber, succumbed to injury. She’s trained in Victoria, but very proudly the flew the SA flag last night. Along with Linke’s role, Encipher raced in the strongly SA-based slot…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Talented field of juvenile trotters to clash at Ashburton
By Jonny Turner If trial form is anything to go by, Sunday’s two-year-old trot at Ashburton will be a form race of the future. After burning up the trials track recently, several talented debutantes will go head-to-head in a 1700m dash. Among them is the Brad Williamson trained first starter, Kracka Looka. The two-year-old will be out to complete a treble for Williamson and his owners, the All Things Harness Racing group. The combination produced two wins at Winton on Friday with Krackaling and Classic Mission both running to victories.…
The Falcon and Laver give Dunns strong hand at Addington
By Michael Guerin Spring may finally be here but harness trainer Geoff Dunn says it comes with some unwelcome issues. Like the one that saw his talented pacer The Falcon flop so dramatically at Addington last week. Dunn and his son James train two of the rugged open class performers in Canterbury pacing, the other being Laver, and thought they were set to win The Falcon’s comeback race last week until he stopped like he had hit quicksand. “We got him home and found he was all full gunk and…
Biggest test so far for South Coast Arden
By Adam Hamilton Former star Kiwi pacer South Coast Arden gets his first crack at a serious Aussie race in Saturday night’s $150,000 Group 1 Len Smith Mile at Menangle. And what a support race it will be to the $2.1mil TAB Eureka. Despite South Coast Arden’s impressive start to his Aussie career with Paul Fitzpatrick, he is a $12 shot from gate three in a very strong Len Smith field. He has firmed from $15 since markets first opened on Tuesday. South Coast Arden has won six of eight…
Alta Wiseguy faces tough handicap at Alexandra Park tonight
By Michael Guerin Trainer Steve Telfer takes two of his best pacers to Alexandra Park tonight but expects one of his other stable reps to beat them. The reigning premiership-winning trainer brings open class star Alta Wiseguy back to start his New Zealand Cup campaign in Race 7 tonight in which he also lines up Kahlua Flybye and Fernleigh Cash. While Alta Wiseguy and Kahlua Flybye are both Group 1 performers Telfer says logic and fitness suggest Fernleigh Cash is the better bet. “Alta Wiseguy is a class horse and…
The draw’s out for the $2.1m Eureka
By Adam Hamilton The big guns will start side-by-side in the world’s richest harness race in Sydney on Saturday night. In a lovely twist in today’s barrier draw, Leap To Fame (gate 13), Catch A Wave (12) and Captain Ravishing (11) drew out wide together. Importantly, all four emergencies are drawn inside them meaning they will start from nine, eight and seven respectively. All 10 runners start from the front row in the $2.1mil TAB Eureka over 2400m at Menangle on Saturday night. The preferential barrier draw conditions meant the…
Close back for third Blue September campaign
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk When it comes to raising funds for Blue September, that starts this Friday, Robbie Close is at the front of the pack. For three years now Harness Racing New Zealand has been involved in the campaign, which raises awareness around prostate cancer, and also funds for research. Last year $50,000 was raised for the cause. Money is raised every time a Blue September ambassador, wearing the distinctive blue pants, wins a race. HRNZ and most of the clubs contribute $100 a win, and…
Win number 13 on number 13 for Iremonger
By Rob Courtney Scott Iremonger has held a Junior Drivers licence since 2018 and freely admits that the race day driving now takes a backseat to his flourishing farrier business but number 13 Motor Mouth duly obliged at Rangiora on Sunday, securing the young man’s 13th win in the cart. Motor Mouth (6g Sportswriter – Blah Blah Blah) was having start 58 for win number five with a further 16 placings and $57k in the bank. “The ‘old battler’ got a trip that he thrives on where they go hard…
News Briefs : August 30
The Box Seat set to return The Box Seat, the weekly show that is all things harness racing, returns next week after a winter break. Hosted by Greg O’Connor and Michael Guerin the show will be on Youtube and the hrnz website from 5pm on Tuesdays and also broadcast on Trackside during the week, including a 9am slot every Wednesday. Blue September kicks off tomorrow The recently retired Folklore will have a new role throughout Blue September, the annual Prostate Cancer Foundation fundraiser. Co-owner Ian Wilson says the seven-year-old Sportswriter…
Jones’ go 1-2 at Rangiora
Since 2008 Derek Jones has been training winners, either on his own account or in partnership with wife Adele. There have been 34 in all (think horses Sunny Kash & Kiss the Girls 6 wins apiece), along with Majestic Lavros (for 2 of his 9 wins) and LuLu Le Mans (for 3 of her 10 wins), but before Sunday he’d never ever trained a quinella. Then at Rangiora Eurostyle and Muscle Sass went one-two in the North Canterbury Trotting Trials at Rangiora Trot. “You can never be confident in a…