By Michael Guerin Zachary Butcher faces a series of vastly different challenges at Alexandra Park tonight but he is certain horsepower won’t be a problem. The outstanding northern reinsman partners two favourites in Old Town Road and Merlin, a classy juvenile in Art D’or and a forgotten Derby runner in Major Perry and all have obstacles to overcome. Butcher is confident at least two of them will. Old Town Road is one of the most promising pacers in New Zealand but will start from the tricky barrier 1 off a…
Author: NZHarnessNews
True Fantasy poised to bounce back
By Michael Guerin The torrential rain that has caused havoc across the north over the last week may have saved True Fantasy’s $150,000 Pascoes Northern Oaks campaign. Not because trainer-driver Mark Purdon is expecting or hoping for a wet track at tonight’s star-studded Alexandra Park meeting but because the autumn rain may have cured an ill affecting the Oaks favourite. True Fantasy has been red hot for most of the Oaks build-up until she finished unplaced for the first time in her career last start against many of tonight’s rivals.…
Muscle Mountain primed for mile
By Jonny Turner Trotting fans can expect to see the real Muscle Mountain at Addington on Friday night. The star squaregaiter will be out to resume normal transmission after a miss-step saw him take no part in Sundee’s Son’s million-dollar celebrations last week. Greg Hope, who trains in partnership with wife Nina, took a calculated gamble with the five-year-old last week as he manages Muscle Mountain’s Group One autumn campaign. But this week the trainer will go back to the tried and true.” “He will be fine – he is…
Payne to make Addington return
By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Sam Payne is looking forward to getting his season underway at Addington Raceway on Wednesday, and there will be some added excitement to the meeting for the young trainer. Top Of The Hill will be the Southbridge horseman’s first runner of the season and he is excited to see what his colt can do on debut in the More FM 2YO Mobile Trot (1980m). “It is going to be a big learning curve for him. It’s going to be his third time off the…
Richard Bright – “a character, who loved hunting, fishing and horses”
Trainer John Dickie says he is still struggling to process the death of his mate and well-known Cambridge publican Richard Bright. The 63-year-old was one of five people who died after the charter boat Enchanter sunk at North Cape on Sunday night. There were ten people onboard at the time. A rogue wave is understood to have hit the boat. “It’s just so unexpected,” said John Dickie,” I have not come to terms with it.” Dickie and Bright have known each since the late 1970s and raced and bred a…
Breeding numbers stabilise in 21/22 breeding season
On the back of an extremely successful NZB Standardbred national yearling sales where almost every key indicator reached record levels, the positivity has continued in the breeding sector with news of a slight increase in the number of mares bred. For just the third time in the last 15 years the number of individual standardbred mares served has increased. The ‘increase’ in mares bred is incremental and probably better described as a stabilisation of breeding numbers. 2005 individual mares were served in 2020/21 to 2037 individual mares served in 2021/22,…
Top Aussie stable now in The Race
By Michael Guerin Australia’s leading stable is the surprise bonus addition to harness racing’s $900,000 slot race at Cambridge next month. It will be a long overdue homecoming for now 10-year-old Alta Orlando when he contests The Race at Cambridge in April 14, the first major equine slot race ever held in New Zealand. His connections have secured one of the last of the 10 slots in the 2200m mobile which looks to have only have two vacancies left, but they are also likely to spoken for. South Coast Arden,…
Everything coming together for Stuart
By Jonny Turner Everything came together for All Together Now who continued the great form trainer Andrew Stuart has produced over the past month. After notching a winning double at Manawatu on Thursday with Racey Rach and Still Trying, Stuart was back on his home patch to produce All Together Now to clear maidens at Motukarara on Sunday. The pacer’s win also continued the outstanding driving form of Robbie Close, who has racked up 12 of his 25 wins for the season in March to sit a clear third on…
Royal Aspirations goes four for four with first season crop
By Brian Cross Paris Prince’s win on Sunday in the Grand Slam Trading Co. Trot gave Royal Aspirations’ stud career a notable record. From just four foals in his first crop, the stallion can now boast four winners. Paris Prince joins Royal Del, Royal Deirdre and Royal Pride in the winner’s circle, quite a return for their breeders and owners Fay and Fred Fletcher. What’s more, all four have won on the Motukarara grass. Having his second start after an eye-catching fourth on debut and driven beautifully by Sam Thornley,…
Thornley on the road again
By Jonny Turner Sam Thornley capped a big week in the sulky across New Zealand with a winning double at Motukarara on Sunday, and he has another four drives at Wingatui today. Thornley’s travels took him to two Manawatu meetings, as well as Wyndham and Addington before he drove Paris Prince and Shard’s Fury to victory yesterday. His winning double on Sunday plus his three wins on the Manawatu circuit took the junior reinsman to an impressive five wins for the week. “It has been bloody awesome – unreal,” Thornley…