By Michael Guerin The best tip in the main trot at Alexandra Park is actually hidden away in the market for another race. That race is the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot at Addington on New Zealand Cup day and if you scroll far enough down the market you will find Belle Neige paying $151. Which is fair, because she almost certainly won’t win the Dominion. But the fact she is even entered for the great race means she is the one to beat in the 1700m mobile trot at…
Category: Meeting Previews
Brittany Graham – What’s caught my eye this week?
Presenter-driver-trainer Brittany Graham knows a thing or two about racing on both sides of the Tasman and now that the Queenslander is working for Trackside in this country she’s (reluctantly) agreed to write a weekly column. By Brittany Graham As the harness racing scene really starts to heat up, here is what has caught my eye this week. Black Booker War Chief was exceptional on debut in the first heat of the Woodlands Sires Stakes for two-year-old colts and geldings behind Cyclone Rebel and appears to have a very bright…
Leithen Louie big chance at Invercargill today
By Jonny Turner A stern debut test has primed Leithen Louie to show his potential at Ascot Park today. The three-year-old heads to Invercargill for start two after a strong first up fourth at Oamaru for trainer Tony Stratford. Leithen Louie ($1.80FF) was well supported in his debut and is set to start at even shorter odds for start two in the Cruickshank Pryde Supporting NZHAT Mobile Pace (2.21pm). The good news for his supporters who are keen to stick with the progressive pacer on Thursday is that he’s only gotten…
News Briefs : September 10
100 training wins for two northern trainers, a campaign to keep our roads safer, a flash fund-raiser for the Horse Ambulance Trust, and a dual sulky race with a difference all feature in this week’s News Briefs. Hopkins and Sharpe with 100th winners Two northern trainers had big milestones over the weekend. Tate Hopkins and Craig Sharpe both had their 100th training wins at Alexandra Park on Friday night. Hopkins’ victory was with Cyclone Rebel who won at big odds ($70) for driver Matty White in his Woodlands Stud Sires’…
The Box Seat – September 9
Check out this week’s The Box Seat with hosts Matt Cross, Brittany Graham and Greg O’Connor.
Alta Meteor seals NZ Cup start
Alta Meteor has been the biggest mover in this week’s rankings for the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup, to be held at Addington Raceway on Tuesday, November 11. The Steve and Amanda Telfer-trained pacer made it back to back wins this campaign when he was victorious in last Friday’s Avon City Ford New Brighton Cup. As the race is an automatic qualifier for the Cup Alta Meteor is guaranteed a place in the $1m race, if nominated He is now fifth in the rankings, up eight places from last week. The rest of the…
Arcee Phoenix passes standing start test at Melton
By Adam Hamilton Star Aussie trotter Arcee Phoenix took a giant step towards another successful Kiwi raid with the first few steps of his Melton trial yesterday. The Inter Dominion trotting winner pleased trainer-driver Chris Svanosio with how well he stepped away from a rare standing-start task when a late-closing second to fellow Inter Dominion finalist Parisian Artiste in the 2240m trial. “It was great to get a standing trial given his main (NZ) target is the (Group 1) Dominion from a stand,” Svanosio said. “It was his first trial…
Money rolling in for Blue September
Harness Racing New Zealand’s Blue September fund-raiser has got off to a flying start. The campaign officially started at Winton last Thursday and already there is more than $12,000 in the kitty for the New Zealand Prostate Foundation. Money is raised every time one of the 11 ambassadors wins a race, through the drivers’ individual sponsors plus contributions from clubs and HRNZ ($100 each). So far there have been 13 wins, with the total currently standing at $12,140. Nathan Williamson kicked the 2025 campaign off on the right note with…
New initiatives to encourage breeding in 2025
Two new schemes, with the joint goal of getting more mares in foal, have been announced in time for the 2025 breeding season. The New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Association (NZSBA) has created a database of mares that are available right around the country while the North Canterbury-based Wai Eyre Farm has come up with a new “Lease to Buy” programme. NZSBA : The NZSBA’s live table of all available mares is an interim step before it launches its Breeders Exchange platform later this month. It is an easy to use…
Verducci breaks through at start 29
By Mike Love Nearly two years after making his debut Verducci broke his maiden status at start number 29 at Methven yesterday. The six-year-old Sportswriter gelding took out the Mt Hutt Motels Mobile Pace for West Melton trainer-driver Jessica Young-Grant, after placing eight times previously. It was Young-Grant’s 128th success in the sulky and her third as a trainer. “It was a good win. He’s been an enigma. He’s a super track worker,” said Young-Grant. Young-Grant said her expectations had been set high early in the gelding’s career. “When he…