Author: NZHarnessNews

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  Blair Orange is very much the driver to watch as the World Driving Championship heads to Addington for the first time tonight. The New Zealand rep is currently in fourth place in the WDC at the halfway stage after having a win and two placings at Cambridge on Wednesday night. He is on 68 points, with Canada’s James MacDonald leading the way on 98. He is also on 2999 career wins, needing just one more to become the fourth member of the 3000…

The fields are all but complete for the two $500,000 slot races at Addington Raceway on Show Day. All 10 runners have been confirmed for the Majestic Horse Floats THE ASCENT while there is one space left in the Hill, Lee and Scott THE VELOCITY. THE ASCENT features top Australian filly Tracy The Jet, trained by Jess Tubbs. She has won eight from 13 including her last six in a row. Tracy The Jet is the favourite with the TAB though there are five runners in single figures – Tracy…

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Career win number four at Cambridge last Thursday was enough to secure Eric of Dreams a trip to the Harness 5000 at Ashburton next month. The Vincent three-year-old is trained at Pukekohe by Ray Green and Nathan Delany and is raced by Delany and his mate Cody Evans. “He’s been my project right from the start,” says Delany, “I got him as a yearling and broke him in .. he’s doing well.” Dreams Of Eric has won four from 14 and will have…

By Michael Guerin Merlin’s New Zealand Cup campaign is back on track and he could even be joined by another stablemate in the great race. The five-year-old recorded his first win in nearly a year in the $100,000 Alabar Kaikoura Cup and it was a proper victory too, coming from well off favourite Akuta to overpower him in the last 150m. Akuta led early and was briefly challenged by Sooner The Bettor but Merlin still had to come from a long way back, three wide down the back straight, and…

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  Surely they can’t be a more popular winner at Kaikoura today than Rachmaninov.  The veteran trotter, having his 289th start, outstayed his rivals to win the Smartpanel Construction Ltd Trot.   It was his second start in two days, his 12th career win and it pushed him over $200,000 in career earnings. “Everyone’s so stoked with him,” says co-breeder, co-owner and trainer Trevor Grant. “He really is everyone’s favourite horse isn’t he? After a safe beginning Rachmaninov went up to sit parked with…

Europe has flexed its muscle on day two of the World Driving Championship in Kaikoura. Firstly it was Jaap van Rijn from the Netherlands who took out Heat 4 and then it was Germany’s Michael Nimczyk who prevailed in the second and final heat of the day with the Matt Purvis-trained Flying Bird. Their victories completed a hat-trick for the Europeans, following Italian Giampaolo Minnucci’s win in the third heat yesterday. The opening two heats were taken out by Australia’s Gary Hall Junior. In today’s heats It’s Tough produced a…