By Michael Guerin Trainers Andrew and Lyn Neal don’t have to wait long for their potential new stable star to return to the races. Because just a week after their former headliner Nicholas Cage left their Cambridge stable, Northern Oaks placed filly Diamonds Are Forever returns on her home track tonight. Nicholas Cage was fast enough to defeat Akuta and Copy That (no mean feat) in the Founders Cup at Alexandra Park on March 10, a display of speed than earned him a slot in The Race by Grins. The…
Category: Meeting Previews
Huge night for the Messengers at Cambridge
By Barry Lichter Elderly Taranaki owners Alan and Lyn Messenger will surely set a record when they trek north to Cambridge on Friday. Alan, 86, and Lyn, 75, have five horses they bred racing from the White Star barn of Nicky Chilcott, all related and all bar one uncannily drawn five. And, appropriately, all five trace back to their talented mare Attsa Nice (six wins) one of the first pacers they bought after approaching Chilcott out of the blue two decades ago because they wanted to switch codes and have…
Joshua Dickie confirms return back to NZ
By Michael Guerin One of New Zealand’s most accomplished young harness horsemen is returning home and straight into one of our prime driving roles. Multiple Group 1-winning trainer and driver Joshua Dickie will return early in the New Year and work at Stonewall Stud’s northern stables and assume the role of their regular North Island driver. Dickie will be accompanied by his partner Sammy Kilgour, herself a talented horseperson, who will also work for Stonewall and Steve Telfer. The 32-year-old Dickie moved to Australia two years ago and while he…
Lovemeto draws five in Victoria Trotters’ Derby
By Adam Hamilton Young Kiwi horseman Dylan Ferguson is more than confident with Lovemeto ahead of Sunday’s $75,000 Group 1 Victoria Trotters’ Derby at Maryborough. While the gelding thrashed his rivals by 31.2m in a Derby heat last Sunday, Ferguson knows the final will be a different ball game. “The other heat was much, much stronger,” he said. “I think the first three home in that other heat would all have won our heat just as impressively,” he said. “We needed to win as easily as we did to show…
News Briefs : October 25
Eight wins in 2023 for Muscle Mountain Muscle Mountain is now the most “winningest” horse in New Zealand this year. The star trotter took out the What The Hill Ashburton Trotters’ Sprint for the third time on Monday. It was his eighth win this year from 11 starts. He has amassed $217,650 in stakes. Millwood Nike and Bella Button are next on seven wins for the year. Meanwhile Akuta has passed $250,000 in earnings this year with his win in the Ashburton Flying Stakes on Monday. The New Zealand Cup…
The Box Seat – October 25
Join hosts Greg O’Connor and Michael Guerin for this week’s edition of The Box Seat.
Behind The Breeds #5
Behind The Breeds is a series where breeding enthusiast Don Rae takes a deep dive into the pedigree of some of today’s trotters and pacers. Under the spotlight today is the Tony Stratford-trained two-year old Dawson, who cleared out and won his juvenile heat at the Winton Harness Racing Club Trials Meeting on Friday October 13th by eleven lengths. By Sweet Lou from Speights Girl, the ownership group comprises some well known southern identities who have also enjoyed great success with another Sweet Lou, the Grand Circuit performer Spirit of…
The latest from the trials – October 20
Now that many of the very best horses are coming out to play we are regularly updating what’s happening at the trials right around the country. Here’s the latest installment. Pukekohe Workouts Friday 20th OctoberWeather Fine Track fast Mantra Blue (3f Sweet Lou – Kamwood Blue Chip) The unbeaten filly driven by trainer Zac Butcher led for fun and kept going strongly to just hold out Kahlua Flybye (trailed 3rd of 4), with the winner looking to have plenty in reserve. MR:2:02.2., 800m in 56.2, 400m in 27.4 She now…
Ashburton – the best of the rest
By Michael Guerin Yesterday’s Ashburton meeting was one of the strongest harness racing programmes of the season and the best form guide to New Zealand Cup week.Here is what unfolded in the other features outside of the two open class races: Race 4, Two-Year-Old Pacing Fillies: Treacherous Love continued the great recent run of North Island-trained horses at the south’s biggest meetings when she bolted away for trainer Brent Mangos. She went straight to the front and driver Ricky May got away with a very slow early section before she…
Muscle Mountain too good once again
By Michael Guerin Nobody would have begrudged driver Ben Hope the rarest of all racing celebrations at Ashburton if he had had the audacity to launch into a double whip salute. Hope restricted himself to just one though as Muscle Mountain strode to one of the easiest wins of his career in the What The Hill Trotters Sprint, the salute dedicated to the great trotter’s late owner Ian Dosbon who died last week. Dobson showed faith in Ben when many others lacked it, allowing him to drive Muscle Mountain throughout…