By Jonny Turner A winning treble on Bluff Cup day continued an outstanding season for trainer Kirstin Barclay. Stable star Only One Way continued his outstanding comeback from injury when cruising to victory in Barclay’s colours at Ascot Park on Monday, while He’s A Meister and Wattlebank Arnie gained deserved wins. Barclay is now facing a conundrum with Only One Way. The trainer has a very classy trotter on her hands who is outstanding form, but his racing opportunities are slim over winter but plentiful in the spring. To counter…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Brigadiers Son primed for Bluff Cup
By Jonny Turner After an outstanding autumn, Brigadiers Son will attempt to take his game up a level in the Bluff Cup at Ascot Park on Monday. The Doug McLachlan trained pacer comes into the annual feature in the best form of his career following a string of strong performances. The four-year-old went down narrowly to Wrecking Ball in his last outing at Winton, so narrowly that McLachlan requested a review of the photo finish. Brigadiers Son looks to be facing the toughest test of his recent racing but on…
All Stars dominate Ashburton features
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk The All Stars colours were once again to the fore at Ashburton Raceway on Sunday, including a win in the day’s feature, the Group 2 Sheep Milk New Zealand Sapling Stakes. Trainer Mark Purdon and Hayden Cullen opened their account with a quinella in the Gr.3 Helen Pope 2YO Fillies Stakes (1700m) courtesy of Millwood Nike and Tiffs Little Sister. It was a special result for stable junior driver Olivia Thornley who recorded her third Group victory behind Millwood Nike. “I think she is…
Aussie News : June 5
King Of Swing’s retirement certainly hasn’t halted the open-class force of Team McCarthy. Spirit Of St Louis is close to resuming, former Chariots Of Fire winner Jilliby Kung Fu is impressing on the comeback trail and, of course, top flight Kiwi pacer AG’s White Socks joined the stable this week. But it was another high-class former Kiwi, Mach Shard, who had everybody talking again at Albion Park last night. For the second time in as many weeks, the former Barry Purdon-trained gelding made light of a 20m handicap to win…
McMillan to tackle All Star army
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Terry McMillan will add some local flavour to the two feature races at Ashburton Raceway on Sunday where he will come up against a spate of All Stars runners. He will be represented by debutant Trail Boss in the Gr.2 Sapling Stakes (1700m) and fellow first starter Vinta Rose in the Gr.3 Helen Pope 2YO Fillies Stakes (1700m). McMillan has been impressed by Vanita Rose and he is looking forward to seeing how she handles her first raceday assignment. “She has gone very well…
Royal Aspirations is on roll
Canterbury-based Phoebe Standardbreds has released a number of options for their boom sire Royal Aspirations as they look ahead to the next breeding season, including a “novel” pay by June 30 option of just $1500 plus GST (last year’s fee). An 18-race winner on the track, from 2012-16, and still New Zealand’s fastest ever 2YO trotter (1:56.5MR), the now 12-year-old Royal Aspirations is proving quite the success at stud, with the likes of Royal Deidre, TK Megastar, Royal Del and Sunny Louis all recent race winners. “We had five wins…
Bellatrix casts a spell at Cambridge
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk It’s been a long road to get Bellatrix to the races, but Adrienne Matthews’ patience finally paid off when her mare scored her maiden win in the Buteline Mobile Trot (2200m) at Cambridge Raceway on Friday. The daughter of Muscle Mass had shown plenty of promise as a youngster but was involved in a mishap as a juvenile that led to a long rehabilitation period and Matthews at one point thought she would never make it to the races. “I thought she was going…
Fletcher and Thornley double up
By Jonny Turner Though there are a few decades between them in age, it doesn’t stop Fred Fletcher and Sam Thornley make a great combination. The veteran trainer and his junior driver were in the winner’s circle twice at Addington on Thursday night, scoring with both Sunny Louis and Mikey Maguire. Mikey Maguire bounced back to winning form for the first time since April of last year when running to a front running in Thursday night’s feature pace. The junior driver was delighted the eight-year-old was able to repay the…
About Turn making his return
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Six-win pacer About Turn will continue his comeback at Cambridge Raceway on Friday when he contests the Waikato Principals Association Handicap Pace (2700m). Retirement beckoned the son of Changeover after a tendon injury last year, but a series of events has resulted in his return to the track. “He had a little bit of a hole in a tendon. We were going to rehome him but he was a stallion,” trainer Mike Berger said. “We spent three or four months trying to rehome him,…
Change of pace and venue for Donnelly
By Michael Guerin Just because trainer Arna Donnelly has arrived in harness racing’s big time doesn’t mean she is turning her back on the smaller fare on offer at Cambridge tonight. The first half of the pacing open class season reached its zenith with the Auckland Cup at Alexandra Park last Friday and that meant a new career high for Donnelly as Kango stormed into third in the $400,000 feature. It capped a great campaign for the big pacer and gives Donnelly a serious open class player for the second…