What: New Zealand’s only slot race and richest harness race. Where: Cambridge Raceway. When: Friday, gates open 5pm, first race 5.23pm, The Race by Grins at 8.50pm Who: Eight of New Zealand’s elite pacers and two Australian raiders. Stakes : $450,000 to the winner, $150,000 to second, $100,000 to third, $75,000 to fourth, and $37,500 to every other horse in the field. Sponsor : Grins is a company producing Ready to Drink beverages and is the brainchild of Damian McKenzie (the grin behind the name), Anton Lienert-Brown and Stephen Donald.…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Guerin – “The Race by Grins is even and balanced”
By Michael Guerin More than speed, stamina, manners or luck tonight’s $1million Race by Grins could come down to decisions. You might think all races come down to decisions, or the tactics employed by the drivers, but in reality, some just don’t. Truly dominant horses can make their own luck, which is why harness racing has had the great winning streak of heroes like Lyell Creek, Courage Under Fire, Lazarus and plenty of others. Look no further than unbeaten three-year-old filly Millwood Nike. But Australasian pacing lacks a dominant open…
Vale Peter Craig
Harness racing historian Peter Craig is being remembered as someone who made a massive contribution to the sport on both sides of the Tasman. He died suddenly in Christchurch this week. “It’s with great sadness that we have the task of letting the harness racing community know that Peter Craig, a true superstar of the sport, has passed at just 67 years of age,” says long-time friend and colleague Dean Baring. “Peter made a massive contribution to harness racing both here in Australia and back home in NZ.” “In our…
The 3000 club heading to Methven this Sunday
by Don Rae On Sunday the Methven Trotting Club is proud to welcome the three most successful reinsmen in New Zealand trotting history. They have been fixtures at the top of or near the top of every national drivers’ premiership table since the late 1970s and have won every significant race on the racing calendar one or more times. They are indeed the Three Wise Men of New Zealand harness racing – and Tony Herlihy M.N.Z.M., Maurice McKendry M.N.Z.M. and Ricky May will compete for honours over a 6 race…
In-form Folklore big chance at Winton
by Jonny Turner Jonny Cox hopes Folklore can cash in again while she’s in the form of her life when she starts in the Southern Belle Speed Series Final at Winton on Thursday The gritty mare will attempt to continue her outstanding recent form when taking on a quality field of mares in the feature sprint. Folklore comes into the event on the back on a string of strong performances which started with her outstanding Southern Belle Speed Series heat win at Ascot Park in January. Cox puts the mare’s…
Greg Sugars on the $1m The Race by Grins – “we are going to need things to go our way”
By Michael Guerin Better Eclipse may bring one of the fastest Australian mile times ever to tomorrow’s $1million Race by Grins but he is lacking in that most Australian of qualities: hype. The five-year-old pacer and his stablemate Triple Eight are the two Aussie representatives in tomorrow’s harness slot race at Cambridge, both trained by husband and wife team Greg Sugars and Jess Tubbs. Sugars is one of the most respected harness horsemen in Australia and Triple Eight will be driven by Australia’s most successful ever reinsmen in Chris Alford,…
Nairn takes small but talented team to Addington
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk While many are focused on Cambridge for their Grins Night of Champions tomorrow, Paul Nairn brings a small but capable team to Addington Raceway for their seven-race programme tonight. And the top trotting trainer reckons he’s some sort of show of taking some of the spoils as well. In race 2, the Lone Star Sires’ Stakes No 39 Prelude Mobil Trot, he’ll drive Confessional, while stablemate Tectonic, who’s gunning for a hat-trick of wins, will again be driven by the country’s top junior…
Champion Aussie driver primed for Cambridge return
By Adam Hamilton Champion driver Chris Alford is buzzing about his return to Cambridge for Friday night’s huge Grins Night of Champions. The 54-year-old has the drives on Aussie outsider Triple Eight in the $1m Race by Grins and exciting trotter Aldebaran Zeus in the Group 2 Waikato Flying Mile. He’s driven at Cambridge before though not regularly. “The first was back in 1985 or ’86 as a junior driver, then I went back in 2018 when Wobelee ran in the Harness Jewels.” Wobelee, Australia’s champion young trotter of the…
Telfer promises aggressive tactics in the $1m The Race by Grins
By Michael Guerin Premiership-winning trainer Steve Telfer is promising the $1million Race by Grins won’t be a simple stroll around Cambridge Raceway for favourite Copy That on Friday night. Two-time New Zealand Cup winner Copy That has opened the $2.20 favourite for the harness slot race and has rarely been beaten in front, especially in New Zealand where his open class form has been incredibly consistent for over two years. But while Copy That seems to have drawn ideally at barrier three in the 2200m mobile pace, trainer Telfer says…
Copy That gets perfect draw for The Race by Grins
By Michael Guerin Dual New Zealand Cup hero Copy That has been handed the perfect opportunity to put a $1milllion exclamation mark on his career at Cambridge on Friday night. The wonderful pacer is likely to start from the seemingly perfect barrier 3 in The Race by Grins, the $1million slot race which will have eight New Zealand and two Australian visitors for its second running. Copy That drew barrier 4 on Monday night but emergency Smiffys Terror drew barrier two and is unlikely to gain a start so the…