By Michael Guerin
Harness racing’s big boys and girls return for a massive Friday night that kind of feels like it has snuck up on us.
With eyeballs having been divided between grass track racing, mares Group 1 at Addington and a huge last six weeks in Australia harness which culminates in Saturday’s Miracle Mile, New Zealand’s biggest names have been on stand by.
And when we think of the likes of Republican Party, Merlin, Akuta and their mates the mind could be excused for jumping forward to their next really big target, the $1m Race at Cambridge on April 10,
But boom, before you know it, they are out and about at Alexandra Park this Friday with a red hot supporting cast of our best three-year-old pacers and the trotters in their Greenlane Cup.
And if that isn’t enough to get you to turn Channel 62 on around 7.40pm on Friday at Addington Got The Chocolates is back to start his 2026.
But the main focus will be The Park which comes awake with the Lincoln Farms Founders Cup.
Sooner The Bettor has fared best of the open class warriors in the draws at barrier 4 for the mobile 1700m and is in the form of his life but when driver Harrison Orange looks across in the score up he will see three of our superstars in Akuta (6), Republican Party (7) and Merlin (8) outside him.
What happens early and whether young Orange decides to take what could be his best chance to beat the big names by staying in front could decide the winner at the end of a fun two minutes.
The $60,000 Alabar Classic almost challenges the Cup for race of the night with Jumal back in the north but with Allamericanplayer and Freeze Frame, the only two pacers to have beaten him, drawn inside him.
Again, driver attitude could be everything here.
In the Greenlane Cup the find of last trotting season Hillbilly Blues gets the perfect opportunity to start this campaign with a win from barrier 4 also over the mobile 1700m, with Belle Neige (6), Meant To Be (7) and Bet N Win (8) drawn outside him and Oscar Bonavena off the second line.
Add the $70,000 Caduceus Club Ladyship Stakes for the three-year-old fillies and all of a sudden the Northern Lights Autumn Carnival hits top gear.
To see the Auckland fields click here
To see the Addington fields click here