By Jonny Turner The trainers behind two of the biggest names stepping out at Addington on Friday night hope things go a lot smoother for their horses than in their latest visits to the track. Punters across New Zealand winced, as did Cran and Chrissie Dalgety and their team, when Republican Party was pulled out of his last start at Addington with a badly flattened tyre. Though disappointed that the racing gods struck his corner, Cran Dalgety could only chose to look at the situation with as much positivity as…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Family affair in very first Roy Purdon Memorial
By Michael Guerin Champion horseman Mark Purdon has a very special desire to want to win the main pace at Alexandra Park tonight but fears his superstar pacer Self Assured could spend much of the race chasing. Rival drivers like David Butcher are hoping he is right. Purdon co-trains three of the six starters in the first running of the $75,000 Roy Purdon Memorial, the race named in honour of his legendary father who died in February. Purdon’s brother and fellow Hall Of Fame trainer Barry has Bad To The…
Double Delight’s Derby bid still on
By Michael Guerin Harness Jewels star Double Delight is still rated a chance to make next week’s Northern Trotting Derby even after missing the obvious lead-up at Alexandra Park this Friday. The last-start Northern Oaks winner was fancied to give our best three-year-old trotter Highgrove a run for his money in the $70,000 Lone Star Sires’ Stakes on Friday as she was drawn to follow him throughout the 2200m mobile. But trainer-driver Tony Herlihy has been forced to pull her out of the Group 2 after she came down with…
Sundees Son going for three in a row in ANZAC Cup
By Michael Guerin Fields of just six horses have been confirmed for the two features – the ANZAC Cup and the Roy Purdon Memorial – at Alexandra Park on Friday night. Champion trotter Sundees Son will go for a hat-trick of wins in the Group 1 H R Fisken and Sons Anzac Cup after winning in 2019 and 2021. He has drawn three for the 2200m mobile, two places inside Bolt For Brilliance. Matua Tana is between them, with Midnight Dash, Kimkar Dash and Yuri making up the field. The…
Flying Isa cracks the half ton
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Cambridge-based breeder Kym Kearns thought when Flying Isa was just a newborn foal that she’d produced something special. “I remember whispering to him when he was two weeks old – ‘you are going to race from when you are two to 14′” And he’s on the verge of proving her right. Now 13, Flying Isa recently clocked up his 50th career victory in North America. Flying Isa (Pegasus Spur – Sun Isa) was foaled in 2008. Sun Isa, who won four from 40,…
Variety the spice of life with Madeleine Stowe
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Evergreen trotter Madeleine Stowe has returned to form in her recent starts and her connections are hoping that continues at Addington Raceway on Tuesday when she contests the Faulks Investments Trot (2000m). The eight-year-old mare has placed in her last three starts after a series of unplaced results and driver Peter Davis, partner of trainer Margo Nyhan, has put her change in form down to a couple of factors. “She has got away better in her last three starts,” Davis said. “Her form has…
Age-group racing to the fore at Ashburton
The old and the new will combine at the Ashburton Trotting Club’s Queen’s Birthday weekend meeting on Sunday, June 5. The meeting will feature a new race – the Group Three Helen Pope Stakes named after one of harness racing’s pioneers – and will also see the return of an “oldie”, the Champion Stakes for the three-year-olds. Another feature will be the time-honoured Sapling Stakes. The Helen Pope Stakes will be for the two-year-old pacing fillies. Helen Pope was the first woman to become president of the Ashburton Trotting Club,…
Stratford brings up the double ton
by Bruce Stewart Gore harness racing trainer Tony ‘Wolfie’ Stratford notched up a milestone at Winton when Betterthanarocket won his maiden race. It was his 200th winner. “That’s a bit special,” he said after Saturday’s race. In the small field driver Brad Williamson slotted the horse into the one one and he let down nicely to beat favourite Foveaux Strait by three quarters of a length. It was just his second start, paying $28.30 and $4.10. “He had a lovely run and was beautifully driven by Brad. I’ve had a…
Aussie News : May 16
by Adam Hamilton Australia’s buzz pacer Catch A Wave is going for a break before preparing for the biggest test of his career so far. There will be no Queensland winter raid as trainer Andy Gath plots his path towards a showdown with Queensland-trained NSW Derby hero Leap To Fame in October’s Victoria Derby. “He’s going for a break now,” Gath said. “We just felt it wasn’t the right time to travel with him given the big races we’ve got at home later in the year. “We’ll certainly travel with…
Another nerve-wracking win for mare
By Jonny Turner Though there have been some nerve-wracking moments, American Eyretime couldn’t have been more impressive in her two wins since joining Craig Ferguson’s barn. The five-year-old made it two-from-two from her new base at Wyndham when clearing out to score impressively in race 9 at Winton on Saturday for driver Mark Hurrell. American Eyretime produced a mammoth win first up for Ferguson and Hurrell when galloping in the score up, catching up with the field and sprinting away to win at Ascot Park last weekend. “I was just…