Category: Meeting Previews

By Jonny Turner  Georgia Goodman took the pressure of driving a red-hot favourite in her stride when winning her first race in the sulky at Ascot Park yesterday. The 21-year-old produced a no-panic steer as Secret Agent Man dispatched his opposition in style in the Selling? Call Craig at Harcourts Junior Drivers Mobile Pace to create a memory the junior driver will never forget. Though winning her first race was already special, the reinswoman got an extra kick out of getting on the board with one of the favourite horses…

By Michael Guerin Steven Reid isn’t doubting Next Level’s class when he resumes at Addington tonight but he admits he isn’t so sure about his preparation. The smart four-year-old is a $2 favourite in the SBSR Tuapeka Lodge/Russell Nevill Mobile Pace at a meeting that will start earlier than scheduled so it can finish inside daylight hours as Addington beds in its new lighting system. Next Level hasn’t officially raced since finishing fourth in the New Zealand Derby on this track in early December, that form usually an indication a…

By Adam Hamilton  Nathan Purdon’s glamour pair Oscar Bonavena and Don’t Stop Dreaming have settled in well after arriving in Melbourne to take on Australasia’s best on Hunter Cup night at Melton.  Brooke Wilkins accompanied the pair on the trip across and Mark Purdon will fly in to take the drives on Saturday night. Nathan Purdon’s confidence varies greatly with the pair. “Don’t Stop Dreaming is not the easiest horse to train or get right for big races because he’s got his issues with his feet and joints,” he said. “I…

Craig “The Whale” Thompson shares his thoughts on Hawera today.    

By Brigette Solomon  After a year on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, junior driver Alicia Harrison is excited to finally be returning to the drivers’ ranks at day one of Hawera’s grass track meeting on Friday.  “It’s been exactly 12 months since I’ve driven at the races with last year’s Hawera meeting being the last I drove at and I’m really looking forward to getting back out there,” says Harrison. The 28-year-old, who is employed by Steve and Amanda Telfer at their Ardmore stable, had been off to a…

By Jonny Turner Molly Belwin’s last start third at Ascot Park has only kept looking better ahead of her return to the track on Thursday. The four-year-old is among a three-pronged attack Stonewall Stud are sending south for Invercargill’s twilight meeting. Molly Belwin worked hard in the last lap of her last run in the south before fighting on gamely for third behind Tabasco. Tabasco went up in grade to run a big second in the Riverton Cup on Sunday, while Molly Belwin has the luxury of stepping back in…

By Adam Hamilton  Kiwi greats Anthony Butt and Cran Dalgety know how to win a Hunter Cup. They also fully understand the importance of good barriers in modern-day racing, which is why their confidence has grown going into Victoria’s biggest race at Melton on Saturday night. Dalgety, who won the 2014 Hunter Cup with Christen Me, co-trains Auckland Cup winner Republican Party, who landed the coveted pole position while Butt, who boasts a record seven driving wins in the Hunter Cup, is caretaker trainer and driver of Mark Jones’ emerging…

These six horses have trialled pleasingly in recent weeks and this week (30/1/2025) they head back to the racetrack. Iron Brigade (4g Art Major – Trigirl Brigade) Tr. S & A Telfer Travels to Hawera this Friday for the Stratford Cup (Race 7) on the grass and warmed up for this assignment with a win at the Pukekohe workouts (23/1/25) against two stablemates, Double Jeopardy and Seaside Rose. Trailed in the heat before popping out near the 400m to challenge the leader, kept going strongly to get his head in…

By Brigette Solomon  The Hygain Revell Douglas Memorial Series for Junior Drivers gets underway today with heat one at Cambridge Raceway. The series, which was first held in 2022, is run in memory of the late Revell Douglas who tragically lost his life in an incident at Karioitahi Beach in 2021. The 46-year-old father of three was a talented horseman, a passionate supporter of all aspects of harness racing and a much valued employee of Hygain Feeds. The series consists of seven races held at seven meetings across the North…

By Jonny Turner Craig Ferguson has a cups double-double in his sights at Riverton on Sunday. Last month the trainer-driver bagged both the Forbury Park pacing and trotting cups on a highly successful trip to Wingatui. On Sunday, Ferguson will link up with the same cup-winning horses in Nutcracker and Moment Of What at another venue well known for its rich history in the thoroughbred code. And the pair look legitimate winning threats again. Nutcracker is coming into the Carriers Arms Hotel Riverton Cup in arguably the form of her…