Category: Meeting Previews

Check out this week’s The Box Seat   

By Brigette Solomon  After a winning driving treble at Tuesday’s Manawatu meeting, in-form junior driver Crystal Hackett is hoping her luck can continue today when she partners Rough And Ready in the Cartown Manawatu Cup Handicap Pace (6.50pm). “It was nice to get rewarded with a treble after the trip down,” said Hackett, “Rough And Ready was really tough winning.” “I thought getting out and going was the only way to really get him into the race and he performs well when driven a bit tough as he doesn’t quite…

By Jonny Turner  Brookies Player gets the perfect chance to break back into the winner’s circle at Ascot Park on Wednesday. The six-year-old plummets down in grade into a very winnable race for trainers Ross and Chris Wilson in Race 3, Selling Call Craig At Harcourts Mobile Pace (4.37pm). To take advantage of it, Brookies Player must turn around a run of being out of the money since September of last year. The nine race winner and $1.60 favourite looks a big chance of doing just that given the pacer…

An export fee is being introduced for New Zealand horses heading to China. Harness Racing New Zealand advises a fee of $300 plus GST per horse will be effective from June 1, 2025. From January 1, 2026 the full export fee will apply. “The fee has largely been introduced to offset the administration costs involved in processing these transactions, ” says HRNZ’s Head of Racing and Wagering Matthew Peden. In recent years around 80 New Zealand horses have been exported to China annually. The fees will be collected by the…

By Michael Guerin Alexandra Park awakens from its summer slumber this Friday as some of the biggest names come to town for the first major northern meeting of 2025. As the countdown to the Harness Million meeting, the $1m Race by Betcha and even further afield the Rowe Cup begins, a mixture of young and old stars will make their way to The Park. Auckland Cup winner Republican Party returns in the Lincoln Farms Founders Cup, facing the outside draw as well as Mo’unga, Chase A Dream, big summer mover…

By Adam Hamilton  Wanted – a slot in the $1 million Race by Betcha at Cambridge on Friday, April 4. That’s the call from Tact McLeod’s driver and caretaker trainer Anthony Butt after the emerging Kiwi pacer ran a slashing third in Saturday night’s  stellar Miracle Mile behind Don Hugo. “That’s where we want to go,” Butt said. “It would be a perfect race for him with his gate speed around the Cambridge track. “I’m so proud of how well he’s stepped into the big league with those big runs…