By Adam Hamilton Champion mare Ladies In Red was beaten, but trainers Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin still dominated Menangle’s huge Group 1 meeting last night. Ladies In Red suffered just the fourth defeat of her 22-start career when beaten a neck by stablemate Tough Tilly in the $210,000 Group 1 Australian Gold 4YO Mares’ final (1609m). It was a Stewart/Tonkin trifecta with Joanna third. Stewart and Tonkin also won the males’ version, the $210,000 4YO entires and geldings final, with the brilliant Beyond Delight. But back to the mares’…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Pacing-bred mare to make trotting debut
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Easy McCartney will join the dual-gaited club at Rangiora on Sunday when she contests the Anne Thompson Memorial Graduation Series (Heat 2) Trot (2000m). A daughter of Net Ten EOM, the five-year-old mare was bred to pace and had three starts in that gait, however, she had always shown an aptitude to trot. Around Christmas time last year, breeder-owner-trainer Allan Shutkowski caved to the notion of trying her as a trotter and she has made steady progress since then. “She is bred to pace…
Kite chasing penalty-free wins
By Jonny Turner Glorafilia heads the winning chances junior driver Oliver Kite combines with at Ascot Park on Saturday. Kite will be out to bag a penalty-free win in race 1 with the four-year-old, trained by his boss Nathan Williamson. Williamson freshened the mare after she produced arguably the best run of her short career to win in her last outing at Ascot Park. “She hit the line quite nicely last time she won in town and then she had a break,” Kite said. “I am sure if she goes…
Rivals eat Tommy’s dust
By Jonny Turner Tommy Waterhouse showed how much he loves Addington with a powerful front-running display to win the Listed Betavet Uncut Gems Geldings And Entires Classic at Addington on Friday night. Trainer-driver Kirstin Barclay never gave her rivals a look in as she cut out strong sectionals in the lead with the four-year-old who was strong to the line. The Southland horsewoman had faith in her horse and how ready he was to run a big race. Her judgment and her training and driving performance proved to be absolutely…
Vale Gary Allen
Long-time administrator, breeder and owner Gary Allen is being remembered as a “genuine man” who had a huge impact on harness racing over many decades. Known as a real character, Allen died in Wellington this week. “It’s hard to think of anyone who’s made a bigger contribution both as a breeder and at a club and national level,” says former Harness Racing New Zealand Chief Executive Edward Rennell. “He had a good sense of humour.” “He loved the game … and he liked a punt as well.” While chairman of…
An unlikely duo – Bella Partington and Monkey King
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk What Bella Partington thought was going to be a one-off “and just a bit of fun” has turned into something much bigger. Now the 22 year old geology student is thinking that she and two-time New Zealand Cup winner Monkey King could go all the way to the Horse Of The Year. When she’s not studying Bella is a yearling preparer at Dancingonmoonlight in North Canterbury – it’s an upmarket boutique standardbred farm owned by the Famularos. And it’s there that she first…
Club News : Invercargill
Fifteen meal vouchers valued at $50 each will be up for grabs at Saturday’s ILT Race Day at Ascot Park Raceway in Invercargill. The vouchers will be won from a lucky draw of all losing on course tote tickets after Race 8 on the day and will feature $50 meal vouchers from ILT establishments – Waxy’s Irish Bar, Level One Restaurant, The Saucy Chef and Speights Ale House. BetaVet will supply the trainer of the Best Presented Horse in each race with a 500ml BetaVet Prepare, valued at $119.90 each.…
Darling Me : ‘tough enough to be put in the race and still win”
By Michael Guerin Few horses sum up the changing nature of New Zealand harness racing more than Darling Me, who should continue her huge season at Addington tonight. The daughter of champion mare Adore Me will start a warm favourite in the Bodyguard Health Uncut Gem, one of three races that dominate tonight’s meeting and give horses who have never won a Group 1 their chance to compete against each other. Ironically the Uncut Gems were conceived a few years ago as consolation-type races for the Jewels, which no longer…
Addington to host epic clash of trotters
By Jonny Turner The trotters look set to steal the show at Addington on Friday night. Punters have three Listed Uncut Gems races to decipher and it is the NZB Standardbred Trotters Classic which may cause them the most head-scratching. The 2600m feature’s handicaps have set up a very intriguing clash between a host of genuine winning chances including Master Lavros (front), Smokin Bandar (10m), Gold Chain (10m), Mataderos (20m), Matua Tana (20m) and Midnight Dash (30m). Trainer Bob Butt heads into the race knowing Gold Chain is good enough…
Double Delight returns to winning ways
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Double Delight returned to her winning ways at Alexandra Park on Thursday night against her own sex in the Group 3 Alabar Northern Trotting Oaks (2200m). From the second row the daughter of Captaintreacherous settled midfield for trainer-driver Tony Herlihy who sat patiently before sending his charge forward at the bell to sit outside pacemaker Con Grazia Love. Double Delight hit the lead at the top of the home straight and ran away to a comfortable one length victory over Con Grazia Love, rewarding…