Author: NZHarnessNews

Gripper and Boy – “I’ve helped him and he’s helped me”

NZHarnessNews

Trevor Harrison – “everyone calls me Gripper” – has had to deal with a lot of adversity in his life. And meeting a standardbred he called Boy earlier this year has given him a major and unexpected boost. In January 2002 Harrison, who lives at Matamata, broke his neck in a car accident. “I was pretty munted,” he says, “they gave me a 5 per cent chance of ever walking again, on crutches.” He spent six months at the Otara Spinal Unit. “I’m what they call an incomplete walking tetraplegic,”…

News briefs : May 11

NZHarnessNews

Addington tops weekly turnover Of the four harness racing meetings in the country last week Addington had the highest turnover ($1,063,361). The Friday meeting, featuring three Uncut Gem races, was well ahead of Rangiora on Sunday ($846,956) followed by Auckland on Thursday ($497,183) and the Saturday meeting at Invercargill ($482,904). The weekly total was $2,937,700 – down $304,209 on the same week last year. Close gets full set at Addington Robbie Close achieved a unique treble at Addington on Friday, claiming gold, silver and bronze in the three Uncut Gems…

Phoebe K scores maiden win

NZHarnessNews

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Phoebe K is a maiden no longer after picking up her first win in the IRT. Your Horse. Our Passion. Mobile Trot (1980m) at Addington Raceway on Tuesday. The daughter of Sebastian K was making her fifth raceday appearance after making her debut in last month. Driver Tim Williams launched Phoebe K off the gate to take an early lead and the pair didn’t look back, winning the race comfortably by 1-1/2 lengths over Nubliah Chamay, with a further 1-1/4 lengths back to Notasbadasilook…

Veteran trotter back and heading to the trials

NZHarnessNews

Nearly seven years after his first win, Kowhai Monarch has returned to New Zealand and is on the comeback. The 10-year-old had been based in Australia since September 2017 but now he’s back with original trainer Mark Jones in Canterbury and eyeing up a return to the races. “At his age he’s lost some speed,” says Jones, “but his work has been ok and we just have to work out whether it’s worth carrying on and that he can still be competitive.” Bred by well-known industry figure John Hartnell, the…

Copy That finally back home – tubby but healthy

NZHarnessNews

By Michael Guerin One fact helped trainer Ray Green get through having to watch millions of dollars worth of races that his stable pacing star Copy That should have been in. “I know all going well we can have a go at those same races next season,” says Green as he welcomes the injured hero back to his Pukekohe stables. It feels like an age since Copy That ruled Australasian pacing beating Self Assured and South Coast Arden in the New Zealand Cup at Addington but it has only been…

Butt to make racing return

NZHarnessNews

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Rugby and racing have been Roddy Butt’s two main passions in life and he is looking forward to returning to the latter at Addington Raceway on Tuesday. Butt will line-up Judicate in the IRT. Your Horse. Our Passion. Mobile Trot (1980m), but he holds reserved expectations with the mare in her debut outing. “It is just a starting point for her, she has got a bit to learn. You have got to start somewhere, and I thought I would put her in,” Butt said.…

Mike Tanev – Who’s Aardie?

NZHarnessNews

Canadian owner Mike Tanev has confirmed his star filly Aardie’s Express will race exclusively from New Zealand, and not head to North America. The Toronto-based Tanev spoke to HRNZ last week following her win in the Southern Oaks at Ascot Park on Invercargill. It was her sixth win in seven starts. Tanev talked about that race, why he bought her, why all his horses have the Aardie name and a lot more besides.

Hill finds perfect trip for veteran

NZHarnessNews

By Jonny Turner Young and old combined when Franco Huntington got the drive he needed to win at Ascot Park on Saturday. And that is not a cheeky dig about Max Hill pulling on veteran trainer Doug McLachlan’s colours. Hill had the ten-year-old Franco Huntington where he likes to be – in front and rolling along in race 5. The pacer rewarded the junior driver by digging deep to hold off the finish of another veteran in Jabali, who rallied strongly to his inside. “My thought was to get to…

Patience pays off with Galleons Ambassador

NZHarnessNews

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk The connections of Galleons Ambassador were rewarded for their patience with their mare when she broke through for her maiden win in the Anne Thompson Memorial Graduation Series (Heat 2) Trot at Rangiora on Sunday. The daughter of Love You was first-up for trainer-driver John Morrison whose tactical navigation proved the making of Sunday’s result. After settling towards the rear of the field, Morrison sent his charge three wide down the back straight to assume the lead. Driver Ricky May took a similar approach…