By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Woodend Beach horseman Bob Butt was pleased to see Heavyweight Hero back in form at Addington Raceway last week after a trying 18 months. The Muscle Mass eight-year-old finished third behind Sundees Son and Bolt For Brilliance in the Group 3 Trotters Classic (2600m), his best result since winning the Group 1 New Zealand Trotting FFA (1980m) in 2020. He resumed in February after nearly a year away from the track and Butt was happy to see him once again showing his talents on…
Author: NZHarnessNews
Hezashadowplaya’s victory a tonic for Teaz
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Hezashadowplaya put an end to what has been a pretty miserable last few weeks for trainers Jason and Megan Teaz when he won The Race 14th April, Tickets On Sale Now Mobile Pace (2200m) at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday. A virus went through their stable last month and to top things off Jason was also out of action for a period after contracting COVID-19. “Our whole team has been laid low with a virus for the last six or seven weeks,” Jason Teaz said.…
HRNZ Covid Reminder : April 7
It’s now permitted for anyone to go to race meetings anywhere around the country, though there is still some important information you need to know. Vaccine passes do not need to be presented to gain access to race courses, and you do not need to scan in. Anyone can attend a race meeting outside, and there are no crowd limits. If you are going inside the capacity in that bubble is 200 and everyone has to be seated and waited on. Inside people are required to wear masks unless seated…
Racing community rally around Graeme Mee
A fund raiser for injured clerk of the horse Graeme Mee goes up a notch this weekend. The 72 year old, who’s been a regular at race meetings around the South Island, was kicked in the head while a young horse was being shoed last month . He suffered serious injuries and faces a long rehabilitation. Keen to help out has been well-known rural health advocate and fellow clerk of the course Craig “Wiggy” Wiggins. He’s set up a fund to help Graeme and his wife Anne on his own…
The Hulk set to smash at Cambridge
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Trainer Adrienne Matthews would love to have a stable full of horses the ilk of The Hulk. The eight-win gelding has continued to pay his way, placing in his last four starts, and Matthews is hoping he can improve on those results at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday when he contests the Tote Burger Now On Uber Eats Handicap Trot (2700m). “He has been going pretty honest races and he is back in a grade that he is competitive in,” Matthews said. “He doesn’t finish…
News Briefs : April 6
Draw for The Race just days away The draw for Australasia’s richest harness racing event, The Race by Grins at Cambridge on Thursday week, will be made on Saturday and will be livestreamed on the Cambridge Raceway Facebook page from 7.15pm. The draw will start at 7.30pm. To find out more about the contenders The Race website is well worth checking out. To see it click here Addington tops turnovers Addington’s first autumn feature race meeting had harness racing’s highest turnover during the past week. The Friday meeting turned over…
Countdown to Country Cups championship
There are just two more qualifying races left for the $100,000 Country Cups championship final at Addington on April 16 – and they are both on this weekend. The Winton Cup (3.39pm) is the penultimate event on Saturday, followed by the Mt Hutt Cup (3.13pm) at Methven on Sunday and it will be the last chance for several contenders to make the field. Winton is a Gold status race meaning there are more points for the top four (10-5-3-2) while Methven is Silver (7-4-2-1). The top 16 horses – as…
The Box Seat – April 6
Greg O’Connor and Matt Cross join us for this week’s edition of the Box Seat.
Kyle Mills and his whirlwind success
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Former Blackcap Kyle Mills and his mates have enjoyed some massive highs with their “Cyclone” breed of racehorses – and they are far from finished. “We’ve been in Group Ones and Group Twos, and had a great run,” says Mills. Over the past decade or so the syndicate (Kyle, his brother Heath, as well as former All Black halfback Ant Strachan and Mark Lyon and former trainer Gareth Dixon) has bred, owned, raced and sold horses all linking back to their foundation mare…
Tim Hall feeling sore but lucky
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Cambridge trainer-driver Tim Hall’s feeling lucky but is still expected to be out of action for a few weeks at least after a horse “trampled” him last Friday. A farrier by trade, Hall was feeding his horses at Cambridge Raceway – “something I’ve done a thousand times” – when he got zapped by an electric fence. His reaction then spooked a nearby horse who landed “on top of me”. “In some ways I was unlucky,” says Hall, “but at the same time I…