Category: Harness

After all the hype and highlights at Friday’s Night of Champions at Cambridge, harness racing returns today with a Sunday double header. The Cheviot Cup and a Group 3 for the two-year-old fillies highlights action at Addington while later in the day there’s a six race meeting at Manawatu, starting at 3.16pm. Big open field for Cheviot Cup By Mike Love  With a history dating back to 1946, this year’s Cheviot Business Cheviot Cup Handicap Pace (4.02pm) has attracted a big field and plenty of chances. The two most heavily-supported…

By Adam Hamilton  It was only fitting Leap To Fame headlined an Aussie dominance of Cambridge’s Night of Champions. The Queensland champion had already earned comparisons with the all-time greats of Australasian pacing and only fuelled them further with a spellbinding and almost unbelievable win. What a way to make your first splash in New Zealand. Throw in another Aussie trifecta in the TAB Trot – the second time in its two-year history – and it was one of the proudest nights for Australians in NZ. There was so much…

By Barry Lichter  “On the night of champions, Nicky Chilcott, one of the champions of the raceway, gets her 700th driving success – what a way to finish off a crazy night …” Cambridge racecaller Aaron White was the first of many to congratulate Chilcott after her milestone win in the final race when she reined home Crazy, the rank outsider of the field. And how appropriate that Chilcott, 53, could become only the second woman to reach the mark on a horse who had confounded the best of drivers…

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  Unplaced in her four previous starts, Impressive Shard burst into the winner’s circle at Addington last night for Leeston trainer Brad Mowbray. “That was a very impressive run, she’s aptly-named,” Mowbray told Harness Racing Unhinged’s Nigel Armstrong post race. “She’s quite a smart horse.” Impressive Shard was the $46 outsider in last night’s race. Starting from the outside of the mobile in the Betavet Fillies and Mares Mobile Pace Matthew Williamson took the Captain Crunch three-year-old back to last early. They then trucked…

By Michael Guerin It was worth the wait. It may have taken Leap To Fame a little longer to get to New Zealand than harness racing fans would have liked but it took him a lot less time to get around Cambridge than his rivals would have liked in Friday night’s Race by Betcha. The magnificent Queensland pacer was supposed to make his New Zealand debut in the New Zealand Cup back in November but missed that iconic race with a blood complaint. He came to Cambridge on Friday night…

By Michael Guerin The patience of one man and passion of another put Arcee Phoenix in the position to win the $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge on Friday night. The Victorian trotter led home an Australian-trained trifecta for the second year running in the slot race after working his way to the front in a bizarre opening 200m. Arcee Phoenix has never been a fast beginner but trainer-driver Chris Svanosio declared his hand pre-race saying he had to go forward on him and try to lead the 2200m mobile event,…