For the second time in three years top class broodmare Carlas Pixel is on the market. By Courage Under Fire out of Pixie Perfect, the now 11-year-old mare is up for sale on gavelhouse.com. The auction closes tomorrow with current bidding at $30,000. As a racing proposition the royally-bred Carlas Pixel won 19 races and nearly $500,000 in stakes, with a lifetime best of 1:49.5. Her first foal sold for $270,000. She is currently in foal to Captaintreacherous. In 2023 she was offered up on gavelhouse.com and bought by John…
Category: Punting
Plans firm for Leap To Fame’s NZ Cup campaign
By Adam Hamilton Leap To Fame will launch his campaign aimed at the $1m IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup with an Albion Park trial on Thursday. In an exciting twist, trainer-driver Grant Dixon is seriously considering heading across the Tasman earlier than expected. “There’s a good chance we’ll fly to NZ straight out of Melbourne, rather than go back home and then get a flight to Auckland from Sydney,” Dixon said. “If we can go straight from Melbourne, it would make sense and save us a lot of other travel.”…
Big bangers return to action at Addington this Friday
By Michael Guerin The boys are back in town on Friday night but they had better feel like a fight. Because both Marketplace and Republican Party face mammoth tasks in their Addington comeback races. The two sons of Bettor’s Delight are both special in their own way: Republican Party the equine little engine who could while Marketplace might be pacing’s next big thing. To deserve that title he is going to need to clean up most of the elite three-year-old races in the second half of the season, which is…
“Tracy” jetting to New Zealand for THE ASCENT
By Adam Hamilton Top Aussie trainer Jess Tubbs is looking forward to unexpectedly early return to New Zealand. It will be an emotional return for Tubbs, who will do it alone this year, instead of sharing the load with her husband Greg Sugars, who tragically died in his sleep in April. Together they had one of their biggest thrills in the game when former champion trotter Just Believe won the Group 1 Dominion at Addington last November. They campaigned former Auckland Cup winner Better Eclipse and then three-year-old Hes From…
Youngster stars on week three of Blue September fund-raiser
In his first year as a Blue September ambassador, Harrison Orange has been a standout performer during week three of the campaign. The 18-year-old secured a win at Cambridge on Thursday night (Conrad H), two at Auckland on Friday night (Two Jules and Sooner The Bettor) and then a fourth win in as many days with his victory in the Junior Drivers’ race at Motukarara yesterday (Scarlett’s Legacy). He has now five for the month making him fourth overall of the 11 ambassadors/drivers involved. Father Blair Orange, the country’s leading…
Second Banks Peninsula Cup for Oscar Bonavena
By Mike Love Millionaire trotter Oscar Bonavena has firmed in favouritism for the Renwick Farms Dominion Trot following his jaw-dropping win at Motukarara yesterday. After starting off the back mark of 30 metres, driver and co-trainer Mark Purdon had no option but to bide his time in the Group 3 Elite Stride DG Jones Memorial Banks Peninsula Trotting Cup. It wasn’t until the 450-metre mark that Purdon angled the Majestic Son eight-year-old to the very outside. He then produced a devastating turn of foot to move his opposition down, winning…
Owner and Breeder winners for August
Every month HRNZ has a breeder and owner of the month award. It is selected randomly with the only proviso being that their horse must have won a race during the month. Lynne Paterson was awarded Owner of the Month after Confessional’s win at Addington on August 22 while Vin Devery was named Breeder of the Month following Share A Dream’s success at Winton on August 3. Owner of the Month – Lynne Paterson Lynne Paterson had the perfect excuse not to see Confessional’s win at Addington in the flesh…
Mobile Start Trial Adopted Permanently at Addington Raceway
Following a period of consultation and feedback from owners, licence-holders, and other stakeholders, the trial of adjusted mobile starts over 2600m and 1980m at Addington Raceway has been adopted permanently. The initiative, which involved horses filing further back when approaching the mobile arm, began on 6 June 2025 and was trialled through July and August. HRNZ thanks everyone who contributed their feedback during the trial period.
Holmes asseses his three drives at Motukarara today
By Mike Love Leithfield Beach trainer Robbie Holmes is hoping Dreams Pat ($46.00FF) can “keep his feet on the ground” in today’s Group 3 Elite Stride DG Jones Memorial Banks Peninsula Cup HCP Trot. The $40,000 race over 2810m takes place on the grass at Motukarara racecourse at 4.43pm. The four-year-old Father Patrick gelding has been an enigma for Holmes in recent months but has begun to prove his worth in recent runs off the property. “We headed down to the Methven trials (August 30) and he put it all…
Jumal and Ya Rite Darl with statement wins at Addington
By Michael Guerin It was the night of the big statements at Addington on Friday. Two young horses in Jumal and Ya Rite Darl sent messages to their age group rivals in two of the best races of the meeting and it was perhaps the one who actually triumphed by the smaller margin who left the greatest impression. Jumal was unbeaten going into the latest Woodlands Sires’ Stakes heat but it looked his biggest challenge, drawn the outside of the front line with two highly talented rivals in Zeus Lightning…