By Jonny Turner Samantha Ottley will chase more trotting success when she heads to Ashburton on Sunday. The reinswoman links up with two in-form squaregaiters in Lil Miss Muscles and Nortie Nortie among an unusually small book of three drives. Ottley comes into the meeting after timing her run to perfection to help Crusher Collins bring up her 598th driving success at Winton yesterday. Eight of the reinswoman’s 23 wins this season have come with trotters, including Murano at Rangiora last weekend. Lil Miss Muscles looks like she has all…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Nathan Williamson – “it was a great night”
By Michael Guerin Nathan Williamson realises the mountains he is climbing about only going to get higher. But after a personal best night at Addington on Friday says it is great just to have horses good enough to be aimed at New Zealand’s best races. Williamson trained his first Addington double with Sand Wave (Sires’ Stakes Magnifique) and Andy Hall (open trot) and added a catch drive win on Harold Smith for his first Addington driving treble. “It was a great night, you don’t expect everything to go that well…
Draws to help Gray runners
By Jonny Turner Brett Gray brings a bumper team to Winton on Saturday with three of his trotters out to secure a special victory. Gray starts nine horses on a nine-race card with three of his team to step out in the race named in honour of his late father Murray. Jasmine Jaccka, Afterburner and Allaboutthemoment each start in race 1, the Murray Gray Memorial Trot. Bookmakers are suggesting Allaboutthemoment is the stable’s best hope, opening the mare as the race’s third favourite. However Gray thinks Afterburner shouldn’t be underrated.…
Tactics critical to Sand Wave’s chances at Addington
By Michael Guerin There is nothing Southlanders like more than coming to the big smoke and beating the biggest stables but trainer Nathan Williamson says he might need some inadvertent help from his rivals to pull that off tonight. Williamson treks north to Addington with his key assignment the $50,000 Garrards Sires’ Stakes Magnifique, a new race for those three-year-olds who haven’t yet tasted success at the highest level. Sand Wave has done the next best thing, winning the Southern Supremacy Stakes at Group 2 level last start and the…
Near perfect result for Hopes
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Trainers Greg and Nina Hope nearly went home with the perfect result at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night. Muscle Mountain started the night off well for the Woodend Beach stable when taking out the Group 2 Group 1 Turf Bar Trotters Flying Mile (1609m) before A G’s White Socks went down by just a nose to Hot And Treacherous in the Gr.2 McMillan Equine Feeds Pacers Flying Mile (1609m). “We were only a nose away (from getting the perfect result), it was great,” Greg…
Tactics critical to Sand Wave’s chances ay Addington
By Michael Guerin There is nothing Southlanders like more than coming to the big smoke and beating the biggest stables but trainer Nathan Williamson says he might need some inadvertent help from his rivals to pull that off tonight. Williamson treks north to Addington with his key assignment the $50,000 Garrards Sires’ Stakes Magnifique, a new race for those three-year-olds who haven’t yet tasted success at the highest level. Sand Wave has done the next best thing, winning the Southern Supremacy Stakes at Group 2 level last start and the…
The Mot’s best performers for the season
With the grass track circuit now over, the Banks Peninsula Trotting Club has decided its big winners for the season. To see who’s won what click here
One final northern mountain for southern trotter
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Group One-winning trotter Muscle Mountain is set to have his final northern run at Cambridge Raceway tonight before he heads for a spell in preparation for spring racing. The talented trotter has been in stellar form in the north, becoming a worthy adversary for the ever-dominant Sundees Son. Muscle Mountain got the better of his rival two starts back when winning over a mile at Alexandra Park, but Sundees Son equalled the northern ledger a week later when winning the Group 1 Peter Breckon…
The Box Seat – May 11
Greg O’Connor and Michael Guerin join us for this week’s edition of the Box Seat.
Donnelly’s race by race rundown for Cambridge
Cambridge trainer Arna Donnelly is picking the aptly-named Perfect Bet to be her best chance on her home track on Thursday night. The Bettor’s Delight three-year-old filly placed on debut before a fifth at Alexandra Park a fortnight ago. Donnelly says Perfect Bet’s work has been good leading into the race (R4 – 6.24pm) and she’s expecting a “really good run”.