Category: Meeting Previews

It’s Show Day and that means four Group 1s and two $500,000 slot races at Addington Raceway. Can Merlin win the New Zealand Pacing Free For All again against Leap To Fame and co and who will prevail in the battle of the three-year-olds – will be it Marketplace or Got The Chocolates? Butcher with key Show Day drives   By Michael Guerin Leading New Zealand driver Zachary Butcher says the hard edge the Australians are bringing to Cup week at Addington could actually help him today. Today’s Show Day…

By Michael Guerin Jason Lee is trying to look on the bright side of the one that got away. That was Tuesday’s Renwick Farms Dominion with Jilliby Ballerini after the Australian mare was a good thing beaten in almost a case of friendly fire. Lee drove the perfect race early to secure the trail behind fellow Victorian trotter Arcee Phoenix and a lap from home couldn’t believe his luck. It soon changed. Queensland trotter Gus attacked down the back straight and Arcee Phoenix picked a bad day to have a…

By Michael Guerin It turns out fortune really does favour the brave. Well, the brave who happen to own a Victoria Cup winner and have $25,000 lying around a week or two out from the IRT New Zealand Cup, which was won in physics-defying fashion by Kingman at Addington. The New South Wales pacer continued Australia’s recent domination of the 3200m thriller by sitting three wide for the last 1400m and still proving too good for favourite and fellow Aussie raider Leap To Fame. It was the second occasion Kingman…

By Michael Guerin Harness racing had its “Cool Runnings” moment in the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot at Addington. You might remember the 1993 movie based on the true story about the first Jamaican Bobsled team to go to the Winter Olympics. Well, that was kind of what Queensland trotter Gus did in New Zealand’s greatest trot race on Tuesday. Except unlike the lads from Jamaica, Gus won. The former rogue whose brain has often struggled to keep up with his legs smashed many of Australasia’s best trotters after a…

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  Canadian James MacDonald has today claimed his second World Driving Championship title, with Kiwi Blair Orange finishing fourth. The 20th and final heat of the WDC was held as part of IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup day at Addington this afternoon. With a 15 point lead going into today MacDonald could only be pipped for the title if he finished last and nearest challenger, Australian Gary Hall junior won. As it turned out neither of those scenarios played out in the  Mitre 10…

By Michael Guerin One man may hold to the key to today’s $1m IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington. There will be 15 high class pacers from 11 different stables and two countries in our greatest harness race over 3200m but what Carter Dalgety chooses to do in a few crucial seconds around the middle of the race could determine the outcome more than just about anything else. Dalgety drives New Zealand’s leading hope Republican Party, trained by his parents Cran and Chrissie, who have craved a New Zealand…

By Michael Guerin Australian reinsman Jason Lee admits the mystery horse of New Zealand Cup day comes with a risk. So he warns punters Jilliby Ballerini is no good thing even as the surprise $2.80 favourite in today’s $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion at Addington. While die-hard harness fans may have seen Jilliby Ballerini starring in Victoria recently well over 90 per cent of New Zealand harness racing fans would never have seen her race. Here is the snapshot: Four-year-old mare trained by the same stable as champion youngster Keayang Zahara,…