Team Telfer go to the top of the premiership, Aussies confirmed for AYDC, and the up-coming weanling sales all feature in this week’s News Briefs.
Telfers edge ahead in trainers’ premiership
After their huge run of late Steve and Amanda Telfer and the Stonewall Stud team have a one win margin at the top of the Trainers’ premiership. They are on 72 wins this year having eclipsed one-time runaway leader Michael House. His latest win came with La Bamba , driven by son Wilson House, at Addington on Sunday. Wilson has 56 wins for the year to be second equal on the overall premiership with Stonewall Stud’s in-form stable driver Tim Williams. Seven-time champion driver Blair Orange is well clear on 87. In the junior driver ranks Wilson House (56) is well clear of Harrison Orange (39) and Carter Dalgety and Crystal Hackett on 38.
Line up finalized for AYDC
The line-up’s been confirmed for July’s Australasian Young Drivers Championships in Queensland. The Kiwi quartet of Sam Thornley, Wilson House, Carter Dalgety and Harrison Orange will battle it out over 10 races at Albion Park and Redcliffe from Tuesday July 15 to Saturday, July 19. Thornley is the defending champion, having won in New South Wales last year. The 2025 field includes six Australians, James Herbertson (Victoria), Chloe Butler (Queensland), Emily Suvaljko (Western Australia), Jett Turnbull (New South Wales), Brodie Davis (Tasmania) and Bernadette Page (South Australia).
Latest Metro heats this Friday
Alexandra Park will host the latest round of the ever popular Metro Series heats on Friday night. Worth $17,000, the heats will be held for both the pacers and trotters with the first four home automatically qualifying for the $35,000 final at the Park on Friday, June 27. There will be another round of heats and finals in July as well. May’s finals were won by Illicit Love and Twista.
To see the field for the Pacers heat click here
To see the field for the Trotters heat click here
To see the field for 2nd Trotters heat click here
RR wins again in Aussie
Classy mare Rakero Rebel has impressed with her latest win across the Tasman. Bred by Dancingonmoonlight in North Canterbury, the mare was a one-race winner in this country (at Rangiora on New Year’s day 2022) before going to Australia in late 2022. Since then she has strung together some good wins, the latest being in a Free For All at Melton in Victoria on Saturday night. Trained by Jess Tubbs, she also won the Queen of the Pacific at Melton last October and the Geelong Cup in March. She has won 16 from 55 and $431,610 in stakes.
World record in USA
A new world record was set in the $200,000 Battle of Lake Erie in Ohio last weekend. Ken Hanover, a Captaintreacherous five-year-old bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, won in 1:48.6 – a new best time for older pacing stallions on a half mile track. It was driver Brett Miller’s fourth win in the race but 11 years since his last victory with Clear Vision (2014). Also in the field was former Kiwi pacer Helium who made a three wide move before fading.
Six finalists in Industry Excellence Awards
Harness Racing will be represented by six finalists at the 2025 Entain Industry Excellence Awards in Auckland later this month. They are Samantha Ottley and Crystal Hackett (National Racing Woman), Zachary Butcher (Equine Licence Holder Excellence), Nathan Purdon (Leadership Excellence), David Branch (Administration and Innovation Excellence) and Shannon Armour (Care and Welfare Excellence). The awards are open to anyone under 40 and the winner of each category – and the supreme Entain Excellence Award winner – will be announced at an awards night at Tote On Ascot at Ellerslie Racecourse on Sunday, June 29. Category winners will receive $10,000 with finalists in each category receiving $2,000. The overall supreme winner receives an extra $5,000 and a $5,000 educational package. Flights and accommodation are supplied for each of the category finalists.
June’s NZB Weanling sale approaching fast
The 2025 National Weanling Sale is a fortnight away. The sale will be held at Karaka in Auckland on Thursday 26. Included in the sale will be 19 Next Gen eligible horses. The sires (and the lot numbers for their weanlings) are :
Dancinginginthedark M (Lot 1065)
E L Titan (Lot 1040, 1088)
King of the North – (Lots 1012, 1036, 1071)
Pebble Beach – (Lots 1003, 1035, 1038)
Perfect Sting – (Lots 1004, 1016, 1020, 1028 and 1032)
Ride High – (1060)
Face Time Bourbon (Lot 1085)
Ecurie D – (Lots 1083, 1084 and 1087)
One yearling (Lot 1082) will also be eligible as his sire Captain Crunch was Next Gen eligible at this year’s National Yearling Sales in February.
To see the NZB Standardbred weanling catalogue click here
To find out more about Next Gen click here
