Category: Meeting Previews

By Jonny Turner  There’s one factor punters don’t have to worry about leading into Wingatui’s Christmas on the grass meeting on Sunday. The grass track prowess of Ricky Gutsell’s brother and sister act of Hacksaw Ridge, Still Rockin, Insarchatwist and Baltic Star simply cannot be questioned. The quartet can be unofficially labelled southern harness racing’s first family of grass track harness racing and they have the stats to back it up. Few horses will step out at Wingatui on Sunday with the record Insarchatwist has at the long-standing thoroughbred venue.…

By Mike Love  Woodend Beach trainer Bob Butt takes a strong team of four to the Geraldine meeting at Orari racecourse today, looking to keep his successful weekend going after Donna’s Boy produced an impressive effort to win at Addington last night. Leading the charge at Orari today is The Lazarus Effect ($1.60FF) who lines up in the Placemakers Timaru/Twizel/Oamaru Geraldine Cup for $25,000 over the 2850m stand.  The four-year-old Lazarus gelding has won seven from just 11 starts plus three placings including his last start when he took lengths…

By Jordyn Bublitz  John Robinson arrives at Cambridge Raceway tonight with two strong opportunities to remind racegoers he’s still very much got the touch.  With a driving career that stretches back to 1979 and a lifetime spent working with horses around his goat-farming day job, Robinson brings both experience and calm to a pair of promising Jason Teaz-trained trotters. Robinson first hopped in the sulky on race day more than four decades ago, getting involved in the game through his father. Although horses have always been part of his life,…

By Jonny Turner  The silver lining for star filly Captains Mistress is that the timing could be right for her, now. The three-year-old is part of a three-horse Southland attack that Nathan Williamson is preparing for the upcoming Auckland carnival. Hidden Talent and Ruby Roe will also head north and attempt to put Alexandra Park Group 1 titles next to their names, just like their stablemate already has. Spring setbacks meant Captains Mistress went into her last start in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks with just one conditioning run.…

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  He’s named after the world’s best golfer Scottie Scheffler but trainer Jessica Young-Grant is putting a lid on expectations ahead of her colt’s debut at Timaru on Wednesday. Scheffler, an American Ideal two-year-old, lines up in Race 6, the Brosnan Transport Passing Lane Mobile Pace (5.21pm). “He has a lovely attitude, he’s such a gem,” says Young-Grant, “and we think he’ll be a really nice horse … eventually.” But for now the youngster’s a bit of a project.   He won a workout…

By Michael Guerin A remarkable stat for one of harness racing’s most surprising careers could get another boost in the national junior driver’s champs at Addington tonight. The series brings together 12 of our best young drivers for six heats, two at Cambridge last night, two at Addington tonight and the final two at Methven on Sunday. The series was for years casually referred to as “the boys’ champs” because until about 20 years ago most of those competing in it were male. That name clearly doesn’t suit any more…

By Michael Guerin Todd Mitchell is looking forward to getting back on two speedy trotting stablemates at Alexandra Park even though he knows he might just be keeping the seat warm on one of them. The four-time New Zealand Cup- winning driver partners two winning chances from the Wallis/Hackett stable including one of the big movers of the northern trotting spring in Belle Neige (R6, No.10). Belle Neige won three races in a month in August-September and while Mitchell has driven her before he gets on tonight as regular driver…

By Jonny Turner  It is not even December and the White stable’s annual southern raid is already on. Trainers Brent and Tim White campaign plenty of horses in Otago and Southland in summer and this year it will be no different. But before the Ashburton trainers try to continue their success they’ve had in Central Otago in recent seasons, they’ll pop over the border to Oamaru on Thursday. Among the five-strong White team is Snooowgood, whose last start was behind Dash Dosh, who went on to win the Group 1…