Author: NZHarnessNews

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Hawera trainer Brendan Towers will return to Cambridge Raceway on Thursday hoping to repeat his winning result last week. His nine-hour round trip to the Waikato track was rewarded on Christmas Eve when Storms Acoming broke through for her maiden victory. The daughter of Muscle Mass and Group Three winner Emma Hamilton had 29 previous starts and Towers said racing against her own grade made the world of difference last week. “I changed a bit of gear and some feed lately, but down in…

The former Central Circuit Trainers Bonus has been resurrected and will be bigger and better than before with the three clubs (Central Otago Trotting Club, Roxburgh Trotting Club & Wyndham Harness Racing Club) putting up a total of $4,500! This will be allocated on a points basis run over two bonus schemes, one for public trainers and one for licence to train trainers. Public Trainers will have a pool of $4,000 with $2,500 for the winner, $1,000 for second and $500 for third. Licence to Train Trainers will have a…

Trottech’s selections for Westport today.                Race    Trottech   Form Analyst  Race 112.35pm 1 Olivia’s Star3 Rita7 Tact Teel11 Oh My Love  Race 21.00pm 2 Alforbet4 Easy McCartney7 Helloveamoment5 Kink  Race 31.25pm 10 Dannemora1 Songbird11 Alexis Rocket7 Get Kraken Race 41.53pm 3 Stanley’s Rule4 Rosie Richter7 Baltimore Jill6 Nine Mile Max Race 52.22pm 4 Star Casino11 Dennis Denuto2 Philadelphia Filly10 Kowhai Shadow  Race 62.56pm 4 Rapid Response9 I’m Your Huckleberry6 Melania1 Stamp Duty   Race 73.31pm 6 Homebush Lad3 Artatac2 Just Holla4 Jimmy Arma  Race…

Central Otago Trotting Club president Graham Sinnamon is hoping their annual meeting at Omakau will be a “Goldilocks” event. Hoping to get a crowd of up to 7000 on Monday, January 2 Sinnamon says the dream is to “have a Goldilocks event, because in 2021 it was too wet, in 2022 it was too hot and this year we want it just right”. The meeting is a hugely popular event in Central Otago with thousands of holiday-makers swarming to the area. “We’d like to be close to last year,” Sinnamon…

By Adam Hamilton Dual Inter Dominion-winning trainer Jason Grimson has further boosted his stocks for the upcoming feature Cups in Victoria. Classy veteran Sicario joined Grimson’s team following an ownership reshuffle. “He’s a nice horse to pick-up. He’s had a few weeks off and I’ve just started working him,” Grimson said. Sicario joins recent Inter Dominion winner I Cast No Shadow, multiple Group 1 winner Majestic Cruiser and last-start Group 1 Cranbourne Cup winner Major Meister as Grimson’s team for races like the Bendigo, Shepparton, Ballarat and Hunter Cups. “Major…

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Muscle Bank will be looking to avenge her head defeat to Prince Teka when she backs up on the second day of Westport’s Christmas meeting on Wednesday. The daughter of Muscle Hill will get a 10m advantage on the Gerard McCrea-trained gelding in the NBS 160 Anniversary Handicap Trot (2600m) as a result and trainer Tom Bamford is confident of a bold showing from the five-year-old. “She just got on one rein, but I was very proud of her, she kept on giving right…

The Gore Harness Racing Club has produced a comprehensive betting guide for today’s huge grass track meeting.  We have taken the study out of finding a winner by doing it for you with our analysis and suggested bets for every race. Check it out! Gore Christmas Trots Punting Picks – Race 1  A very even race to start the day with the leading contenders being handed tricky draws. On consistency, Forty Wives deserves to rate highly, he loves grass tracks and is very genuine. B Smart would likely have been…

by Jonny Turner  Despite not driving the favourite in either race, Matthew Williamson has a big role to play in both of Gore’s cup races on Tuesday. On Southland’s biggest day of grass track racing, the reinsman combines with Tairlaw Toll and Hurricane Hill who look genuine winning threats in the Gore pacing and trotting cups, respectively. Macandrew Aviator has opened favourite for the Gore Pacing Cup and deservedly so following his excellent third behind Krug in the Group One Invercargill Cup. Tairlaw Toll won the race last year and…

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Ben Hope has been heading to Westport’s Boxing Day meeting since before he could walk, so he was delighted to take out their local Cup on Monday behind Homebush Lad for his parents Greg and Nina. “It was a huge thrill,” Hope said. “I know the Westport Cup is just a Country Cup, but to me it is a track I have been travelling to my whole life. “Somebody was telling a story of how I was there in a pram, so I pretty…

by Jonny Turner Homebush Lad will be out to go one better than last year in the Westport Cup on Boxing Day. The Greg and Nina Hope trained pacer was only narrowly denied by Last Of The Mohicans in a slogging finish when a wet track turned last year’s grass track feature into a dour staying test. Metservice forecasts suggests Homebush Lad will be able to strut his stuff on top of the grass this year. The pacer goes from taking on much fuller line ups in recent Country Cups…