Category: Meeting Previews

By Mike Love Woodend Beach trainers Robert and Jenna Dunn will be looking to cap off their successful weekend at today’s Rangiora Summer Cup meeting. The barn tasted success across the country on Friday night, including Ya Rite Darl, who won the Group One TAB Queen Of Diamonds at Alexandra Park, while One Over Da Line won at Addington. The Dunn team will line up five runners at today’s meeting, including three runners in the $25,000 New World (Rangiora) Summer Cup over 2600m. Race favourite It’s Tough ($2.10FF) will be…

By Jonny Turner Race conditions aren’t perfect, but Kirk Larsen is hoping to make an impact with his team at Winton on Sunday. With four runners, the trainer-driver has most of his racing team starting at Central Southland Raceway. Xerion will be out to continue his strong form when stepping out in the meeting’s feature trot. The five-year-old rematches with Bring On The Muscle and Jimmy Carter, who beat him home in their recent match-up at Ascot Park. Though Larsen has the advantage of getting a head start over the…

By Michael Guerin A private workout at Addington on Monday convinced trainer Cran Dalgety of two things heading into tonight’s East West Fencing Summer Cup. The first is that Republican Party is ready to win even from the toughest draw and the second is Franco Sinatra will be better off without hopples in the same race. Dalgety and wife Chrissie will try something which is very much a rarity in open class racing in New Zealand these days when the start Franco Sinatra without hopples in tonight’s feature. Mach Shard…

By Michael Guerin The trainer who could dominate tonight’s Group 1 Trot at Alexandra Park has a surprise for punters.  Because Michelle Wallis says the pecking order for the four reps she and husband Bernie Hackett take to the $100,000 TAB Queen of Diamonds may have changed in the last week, even if the bookies don’t think so. The couple are nearing the end of a hugely successful season and could put an exclamation mark on it tonight with Belle Neige, American Muscle, Faith In Manchester and Courmayeur in the…

A $500 TAB Bonus Bet will be given away as part of Ashburton’s big Harness 5000 meeting next week. Sponsored by Phoebe Stud, the Harness 5000 will feature 12 $60,000 races next Sunday (December 21). Entries for the HRNZ $500 TAB Bonus Bet open tomorrow (Friday, December 12). The winner will be drawn after Race 3 on Phoebe Stud Harness 5000 day. The winner must be on-course to claim the prize. If they are not it will be re-drawn until a winner is found. The prize is a $500 Bonus…

By Jordyn Bublitz  Margherita lines up today at Palmerston North in the Doug Bradley Painters Palmerstonian Mobile Pace with trainer Danielle Green hoping the honest mare can continue her upward trajectory after what has been a long, patience-testing road. Based in Morrinsville, Green has worked with Margherita her entire career, and while the mare has always shown ability, her biggest battles have taken place away from the track.  Persistent issues with tying up have stalled her progress more than once, forcing Green into a constant cycle of trial and error…

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  Jacob Dunn looks like the one to follow at Manawatu today. The Auckland-based junior driver has seven drives on the eight-race programme. All look set to be well supported, headlined by hot favourite Twista in the Osborne Group Chartered Accountant Wairarapa Cup (6.47pm). “It’s a great book of drives … I’d say Twista is the best of mine.” His last start was a 10th in the Thames Country Cup at Cambridge nearly a month ago. “This is a big drop back and he…

By Michael Guerin If some of the biggest names heading to Alexandra Park on Friday are going to win they are going to need to do it the hard way. Because plenty of the favourites face either handicaps or tricky draws in the five richest races as things start to hot up in northern harness. Friday hosts two Group 1s, one each for the female trotters and pacers and both 2200m mobiles have seen early favourites cop second line draws. The $100,000 Woodlands Stud Queen of Hearts will see impressive…

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…