After their wins at Nelson, Ready Set Jet and Knowing Me have become the latest horses to qualify for the $30,000 Seddon Districts Bob Rochford Memorial Trotters Series Final. The Bob Butt trained and driven Ready Set Jet was an impressive winner at Richmond Park on Friday as was Knowing Me on Sunday, completing a winning double for the meeting. Trained by Margo Nyhan, and driven by partner Peter Davis, the five-year-old mare’s two wins were especially meaningful for Nyhan as Knowing Me was bred and raced by her parents…
Category: Meeting Previews
Hopes bring a truckload of value
Woodend Beach trainers Greg and Nina Hope head to Ashburton raceway today with a team of eight runners who will all have their say in their respective events. The Hope’s secured 45 winners last season, finishing seventh in the trainers premiership and will look to kick start their season with a range of chances today, all of which co-trainer Nina Hope suggests luck will be needed. First up in race two the Wattslea Farms Pace over 2400m is Christian Bale ($4.40FF) for Ben Hope. Coming in fresh and drawn two,…
“Other Awards” Contenders announced for HRNZ Awards
The remaining finalists have now been decided for the NZB Standardbred Harness Racing New Zealand Awards which will be held at Addington Raceway on Saturday, February 8. Last week the “Top Horse Contenders” were released. Today it is the “Other Awards” featuring Breeder of the Year, Owner of the Year, Pacing and Trotting Stallion and Broodmare of the year as well as this year’s Newcomer to Training and Stablehand of the Year. To see the “Other Awards” contenders please click here To see the “Top Horse contenders” please click here…
Momentum for Next Gen building in countdown to NZB Yearling Sales
With an additional $600,000 in bonuses annually for the next three years and funded by the TAB, the Harness Racing New Zealand’s Next Gen ownership initiative is gaining serious momentum, ahead of next month’s NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales in Auckland and Christchurch. Next Gen is all about getting more and new people into “Owning The Thrill” of racing pacers and trotters. “It’s important to emphasise that everyone is eligible to get involved, it is for newcomers to racing as well as those who have owned and raced horses for decades,”…
New Waikouaiti president wants “lift in energy”
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Jess Murphy wasn’t really expecting to be the new President of the Waikouaiti Trotting Club but now that she is, she is all in. “I’m really keen to get into it,” the 34-year-old says. She took over the job after being on the committee for the past “five or so” years. “I thought I’d be vice-president for a bit but when the president’s job came up my name was mentioned and it went from there.” As a Next Gen administrator she’s keen…
Bamford thinking big with stable star
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk North Canterbury trainer Tom Bamford is eyeing up more success at Blenheim this week after a training double at Nelson yesterday. Stable star Rakero Rocket and Light Me Up both won at Richmond Park to give the young trainer four wins from just seven starts so far in 2025. For Rakero Rocket it was his fourth win in his last six starts, highlighted by victory in the first ever Group 1 Christian Cullen at Addington in December. “He’s exceeded expectations,” says Bamford, “to…
Republican Party confirmed for Hunter Cup
By Adam Hamilton Auckland and Invercargill Cup winner Republican Party will chase the Group 1 Hunter Cup. Co-trainer Cran Dalgety confirmed the five-year-old would be on a flight to Melbourne on Wednesday for what will likely be a three-race Victorian campaign. Surprisingly, Dalgety said Republican Party would then return home rather than head to Sydney for a tilt at the Miracle Mile. “He’s earned a go at Melbourne. He’s taken that next step from a nice horse to one who will be competitive with the very best,” Dalgety said. “We’d…
Nelson win dedicated to Denise Nyhan
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Margo Nyhan has been training winners for more than 20 years but yesterday’s victory with Knowing Me at Nelson was a stand out. It came just less than a fortnight after her mother Denise died “unexpectedly” at age 87. She suffered a stroke just before Christmas and died in Christchurch Hospital on December 29. “We tried really hard to get a win over on the Coast over Christmas time before Mum passed and we missed out but to get one yesterday was pretty special for…
Oscar Bonavena becomes 12th Australasian-bred trotting millionaire
By Michael Guerin In the end of the final push to the top of millionaire’s mountain was an easy one. It was probably always going to be for Oscar Bonavena, who had panels on his rivals in the IRT Cambridge Flying Stakes Trot at Cambridge on Thursday night. The nine-year-old was able to pull back to second last and after moving mid-race ended up in the one-one. From there the question was how big the margin would be. The answer: five-and-a-quarter lengths as he raced into the millionaire’s club without…
Orange with a host of good chances at Nelson today
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk Sideshow Bruce has come a long way in a short time and today he’ll have to take another big step up. The Robert Stuart-trained Sweet Lou four-year-old has had three wins and a second in four career starts and at 7.09pm will carry local hopes in the day’s feature at Richmond Park, the $25,000 Nelson Pine Industries Nelson Cup. The country’s top driver Blair Orange will again drive Sideshow Bruce after guiding him to a winning double at Westport on Boxing Day and…