100 training wins for two northern trainers, a campaign to keep our roads safer, a flash fund-raiser for the Horse Ambulance Trust, and a dual sulky race with a difference all feature in this week’s News Briefs.
Hopkins and Sharpe with 100th winners
Two northern trainers had big milestones over the weekend. Tate Hopkins and Craig Sharpe both had their 100th training wins at Alexandra Park on Friday night. Hopkins’ victory was with Cyclone Rebel who won at big odds ($70) for driver Matty White in his Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes 2YO Heat. It was his 13th individual success to go with the 87 he had in combination with Frank Cooney. Sharpe was successful with Proviseur ($26.50) for driver Emily Johnson. It was his 20th win on his own account, to go with the 80 he had in partnership with Todd Macfarlane.
Telfers now 40 clear
The Telfers’ 2025 season just goes from strength to strength. In April they were second in the premiership 32 wins behind Michael House. Now they are 40 wins clear of their closest challengers. And they are winning the big races too with Alta Meteor taking out last Friday’s Avon City Ford New Brighton Cup to cement his place in the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup on Tuesday, November 11. He is currently at $31 to win the Cup. In the drivers’ premiership Blair Orange is well clear on 118 wins, 27 ahead of his nearest rival Tim Williams.
Road safety rides on this weekend
Pass Wide and Slow awareness rides will be held around the country this weekend. The initiative is all about educating motorists to take greater care on the roads when approaching or passing both horses and riders and sulkies. Motorists should keep a 2m space between them and any horses on all roads. All riders/drivers are also being encouraged to wear hi vis at all times. Around 30 communities will be going on the rides this Saturday and Sunday. They will also take place in several other countries including the United Kingdom and the United States. The rides here are being organized by Pass Wide and Slow New Zealand, with research showing that on average two riders or drivers of horse-drawn carriages die on New Zealand roads every year.
Horse Ambulance Trust auction now live
A “luxurious” fund-raiser for the New Zealand Horse Ambulance Trust is now live on gavelhouse.com. It started at 5pm last night and continues through until next Tuesday. The winners will get brunch and a private farm tour at Ken and Karen Breckon’s state of the art complex at Ohaupo, a round of golf at the new Tieke Golf Estate in Tamahere as well as a food and accommodation package in Cambridge. All proceeds will go to the NZHAT which operates a fleet of specially equipped horse ambulances right round the country.
To find out more about the auction click here
Sires’ Stakes latest news
Spring has really sprung for Sires’ Stakes racing in both Islands. To see the latest news click here
Dunn moves into third in USA
Dexter Dunn is now the third highest stakes-earning driver in North America this year. The former 10-time Kiwi champion has been in a rich vein of form of late to climb up the leaderboard with earnings of $US7.6m for the year. He is behind Jason Bartlett ($10.9m) and Yannick Gingras ($US8.2m). Dunn has had 194 wins, many of them in big money races, so far in 2025.
Hat-trick for Kiwi-bred pacer
The Group 1 winning Christopher Dance has now won three in a row in North America. The Sweet Lou four-year-old, who won two starts in this country for Logan Hollis and Shane Robertson, moved to Perth where he won three more at Gloucester Park for Greg and Skye Bond including the Group 1 Western Australian Derby. Now based in the USA he has won three in a row, his latest victory at the Meadowlands coming in a new personal best 1:49.6. And what a night out Gilles Barrieau had in Canada over the weekend. At Charlottetown he reined home nine winners on the 14-race programme. Not only was it a personal best or him but it a new record in Prince Edward Island (PEI) racing.
Mayoral contenders in dual sulky race
The battle to be Waitaki’s next mayor will take an interesting twist at Oamaru on Sunday. Four of the area’s mayoral candidates will be involved in a dual sulky race as part of Placemakers Hannon Memorial Day. The four are Guy Percival, Melanie Tavendale, Kelli Williams and David Wilson, with the race between races 5 and 6. The local body elections are on next month.