By Adam Hamilton The New Zealand Cup Week spotlight is firmly across the ditch this weekend. The two best pacers in this part of the world, Leap To Fame and Swayzee, continue their preparations for the IRT NZ Trotting Cup at Addington Raceway on Tuesday, November 11 with lead-up runs in Queensland and New South Wales tonight. Leap To Fame returns from a spell at Albion Park at 9.14pm, while Swayzee steps out over 2300m at Menangle at 9.50pm. They will then clash in the $250,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup…
Category: Punting
Butt trio heading to Addington today
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk It’s been a decade since Chris Butt took three of his own horses to the races, but that’s exactly what he’s doing at Addington today. The Balcairn-based trainer-driver lines up Mister in Race 2, the West Melton BP Supports CSBA and Breeders Trot (5.18pm), Willy Away in Race 3, the Equine PEMF Therapy Mobile Pace (5.49pm) and Lord Mudrick in Race 5, the Breed-Race-Win-Repeat Mobile Pace (6.55pm). “This would be the first time I’ve had three at the races since Australia,” says Butt.…
New Zealand Cup campaign about to kick off for Leap To Fame
By Adam Hamilton The path to the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup starts on Saturday night for champion Aussie pacer Leap To Fame. The amazing six-year-old returns from a break to face just five rivals in a 2138m free-for-all at Albion Park. It will springboard his quest to add another three Group 1 wins for the remainder of this season to his already bulging CV. The biggest of them is the $1 million IRT NZ Trotting Cup at Addington on November 11. Before then, he will head to Melton to…
Tour Party’s progress impresses Next Gen winner
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk It’s been more than six months since Josh Mantell last saw Tour Party. The change has been obvious. “He’s just so much bigger,” says Mantell. Earlier this year Mantell was the winner of the Harness Racing New Zealand Next Gen “Win a Share in a Race Horse” competition. He entered the competition at the Motukarara races last December. His prize was a 3.5% share in Tour Party, a full brother to multiple Group 1 winner Republican Party. Bred by Price Bloodstock in…
Blair Orange to wear special silks ahead of WDC
The Postman is about to become a billboard for the World Driving Championship (WDC) . New Zealand’s representative for this November’s championship Blair Orange will wear specially made WDC silks in all his races throughout October , starting at Addington on Wednesday. The white silks will not be the ones worn by Orange during the WDC – there he will wear the Silver Fern. Ten of the world’s best drivers will duel it out at Kaikoura, Cambridge, Winton and Addington between November 2-11. It’s the first time New Zealand has…
Merlin rated a $2.20 chance in Friday’s Holmes D G
By Michael Guerin How much difference can 500m make? Well, maybe that question has two parts, the other being how much fitter will Merlin strip for the Holmes D G at Alexandra Park on Friday night after his first-up defeat to stablemate Sooner The Bettor. The pair clashed two weeks ago and Sooner The Bettor found the lead over 2200m in the Spring Cup and never looked like being headed while Merlin remarkably secured the one-one soon from his 20m back mark after the start but could manage only third.…
A big upset, babies and his new life – the Mighty Looee story
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk When it comes to Mighty Looee’s highlights reel one race is streets ahead of any other. The Sweet Lou eight-year-old, owned by Robyn Hellaby and co-trained by partner Robert Dunn, has been retired from the race track after notching up 17 wins in a 104-start career from 2019 and is now being re-educated for his Life After Racing. And looking back there is a clear stand out. “It was that Country Cup championship at Addington,” says Hellaby, “what a race!” To relive it still…
Wavewatcher brings up 50 wins for Latimer
By Mike Love Wavewatcher’s fourth win brought up milestone win number 50 or Oamaru trainer Eion Latimer at Phar Lap Raceway in Timaru yesterday. “It took me twelve months to get it! The voice was a bit sore,” said Latimer. The five-year-old Downbytheseaside gelding Wavewatcher and driver Olivia Thornley were able to secure the trail for the entire trip behind race favourite McKendrick before executing the passing lane to full effect, wearing down McKendrick to win by half a head at the line with a four-length margin back to Betterthanbabe…
Big finish to Blue September
Blue September ambassadors have produced a strong finish to round out the 2025 campaign in style. Down south Nathan Williamson added four more wins to the cause at Gore yesterday while Jonny Cox (with two wins), Blair Orange and John Dunn all added to the tally in Timaru. Their success followed five wins at Addington on Friday night, thanks to Dunn (2), Orange, Williamson and Robbie Close. In total during the month the 11 ambassadors won 53 races, with Dunn leading the way with 12, one ahead of Orange. The…
Big targets ahead for To The Moon And Back
By Jonny Turner A host of feature races await To The Moon And Back following his outstanding victory at Gore on Sunday. The progressive trotter repaid the faith his team have had in him when dispatching his opposition despite sitting parked for driver Kerryn Tomlinson. To The Moon And Back was bred by Lex Williams who races the three-year-old with a group of enthusiastic owners. Trainer Brad Williamson and the ownership group can target a host of lucrative group races for three-year-old trotters, with To The Moon And Back’s manners…