Author: NZHarnessNews

By Adam Hamilton Former exciting Kiwi trotting mare Vacation Hill can take another major step towards the upcoming Victorian Inter Dominion series with victory at Melton this weekend. Trainer Andy Gath expects the five-year-old to lead and go very close to winning the second heat of a series named after his former great Kiwi trotter Tornado Valley. The 2240m mobile is due to go just after midnight (12.07am Sunday).  “She’s come back well. I’m sure she’ll lead and she’s a different trotter in front,” Gath said. “People ask if she’s…

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk It will be a sentimental moment for Auckland horseman Roydon Downey when Sans Au Revoir makes her debut at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday. The daughter of Love You was the last horse bred by his late father Errol, who was tragically killed in a car accident. In tribute to his father, Downey named the resulting foal Sans Au Revoir, translated to ‘Without Goodbye’. “She was the last horse he bred before he passed away, that is why she is named the way she is,”…

By Jonny Turner All eyes will be on hot favourite Raupunga Lad when he debuts at Winton on Thursday. After tearing up the trials track, the three-year-old will step out for the first time in race 6 for trainer Brent McIntyre and driver Craig Ferguson. After looking smart in his trials in February and March, McIntyre has been forced to take a patient approach with the three-year-old which he hopes will pay off on Thursday. “He would have been racing sooner but he got a bit crook so we chucked…

By Jonny Turner Bruce Negus is looking to get a head start on next year’s Country Cup Championship. Negus will line up Corravally Star in Sunday’s Kurow Cup, a qualifying event for the 2023 Country Cup Championship at Addington. Negus’s four-year-old missed out on a start in this year’s $100,000 feature by just one point and the trainer wants to get plenty of points on the board next time around. “He had an awful amount of bad luck in those cup races last year, he has got to be looked…

By Jonny Turner A lack of recent racing is the only concern Mark Jones has as two of his smart three-year-olds resume at Addington on Friday night. Monaco Grace and Hot To Trot will return to racing for the Burnham trainer when they start alongside Eyre I Will, Major Memphis and Sioux Princess. Hot To Trot steps out for the first time since his third in Highgrove’s Group One Northern Trotting Derby when clashing with Sioux Princess. The three-year-old certainly has the class to win race 9 but Jones thinks…

by Adam Hamilton The “Beast” is back. At his best, Lochinvar Art is irresistibly great and the sport needs him firing. But will we see him at his best again? The jury is out after his cameo comeback campaign saw him race dour when he was winless in three races earlier this year. But go back to late 2020/early 2021 and he was THE horse of the sport. As great as King Of Swing was, Lochinvar Art was better when both were at their prime. So, we will all watch with…

Brent Barclay features in our next Blue September Profile and talks about winning three races on the first day of the campaign last year and about his early career in racing. We would like to thank the following sponsors for coming on board to support Brent per win this year: $100 Cruickshank Pryde Lawyers $50 Udy’s Grain & Feed Brent will also donate $50 himself

Here’s Greg O’Connor and Darrin Williams with the Addington News – August 18.