Feiss buckles up for her biggest Cup Day yet

Has there ever been a more dramatic script in harness racing than the 2023 $100000 G1 NZ FFA? The soapbox started some 30 hours before the 1980m dispatch point with the New Zealand Cup winner, Swayzee sensationally scratched on Thursday morning, soon followed by the Cran & Chrissie Dalgety trained Republican Party. The eleven horse field then…

Breeding authority Peter Wharton presents all the harness racing news on breeding from Australia, New Zealand and North America every week brought to you by Garrard's Horse & Hound. Western Australia's premier race for three-year-olds, the $200000 WA Derby, was won by then Sweet Lou gelding Skylou, and although Never Ending (also by Sweet Lou),…

One of the great prizes in Victorian harness racing is set for a heavyweight training showdown after Mark and Nathan Purdon's hope sent a shot across the Tasman. New Zealand trained The Real Sherlock crashed the line to win the second Woodland Stud Victoria Derby heat at Melton Entertainment Park, joining Emma Stewart's heat one winner Petracca in…

The All Stars harness racing stables are preparing a strong team for spring racing. Harnesslink's Bruce Stewart talked to Nathan Purdon about some of their top liners as we head to the sharp end of the season. Vessem (Vincent) 3-3-0-0 $63250.00 Last raced at Invercargill on 23 April winning the G2 Diamond Creek Farm Two Year Old Classic. "He looks…

They breed them tough in Bluff and the Bluffies would have appreciated Brookies Players (Shadow Play) win in the Bluff Cup at the Invercargill Harness Racing Club's meeting at Ascot Park today. Trained by Ross and Chris Wilson the four year old was purchased from the Gavelhouse horse trading website for just $1000. Driver Mark Hurrell sent Brookies…

Champion harness racing trainer Mark Purdon won himself another Group One tonight, winning the $170000 Trillian Trust 2023 Auckland Cup behind exciting four year old pacer Akuta (Bettor's Delight) After an interrupted preparation the last few weeks with a hoof abscess, Purdon finally got the classy Akuta fit and ready for a hard run 3200m race. As…

Like most people in Auckland, visiting harness racing trainer Mark Purdon is over the weather and looking forward to returning home to Canterbury. "You think you're in for a nice day but by nine o'clock it's clouded over and the clouds are getting blacker and you're in for squally showers all day," he said. Purdon, who returns to race night driving…

One of harness racing's luckiest owners wasn't feeling all that lucky for much of last Friday (Apr. 14) before The Race By Grins gave him a shot at one of the more remarkable doubles in New Zealand racing history. Australian-based owner Merv Butterworth is a regular investor in New Zealand Bloodstock, predominantly in harness racing, having owned…

She put in a few fancy steps but harness racing mare No Matter Wat (A Rocknroll Dance) was good enough to hang on and win the $20000 Canterbury Standardbred Breeders Stakes at Addington tonight (Mar. 31). The Mark and Nathan Purdon trained four year old has for most of her short career, been a bit tricky in the gait department but driver Olivia…

Northern harness racing trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan have some strong players in the two three year old feature races at Alexandra Park in Auckland tomorrow night (Mar 24). In the $90000 Group One Pascoe The Jewellers Northern Oak, the training partnership will line up Advance Party (Bettor's Delight) who faces the challenge of trying to…

Outstanding Group One harness racing performances led to NZB Standardbred graduates dominating the age-group categories at the NZB Standardbred New Zealand Harness Racing Awards on Saturday night. The leading auction house was proud to sponsor the celebration of elite achievements by New Zealand horses and horsepeople, as well as the recognition of…

While the dominance of New Zealand-bred and sold horses continues to accelerate, a star-studded catalogue of harness racing youngsters is set to go under the hammer next week for NZB Standardbred's 2023 National Yearling Sale in Auckland and Christchurch. Since entering the market in 2019, NZB Standardbred graduates have created a wave of success…

Harness racing across the Tasman cranks up another level on Saturday with both Melton and Menangle serving up top end racing, and no doubt many kiwis will be locked in to the coverage. The much anticipated $500000 Group One Hunter Cup is the feature race at Melton with plenty of New Zealand interest in the race. Spirit Of St Louis's (Sweet…

If Ben Hope's drive behind Muscle Mountain was the best losing drive of Cup and Show week, harness racing legend, Mark Purdon, produced the best winning drive of the week to secure Group One victory for he and Self Assured (Bettor's Delight) in the $200000 New Zealand Pacing Free For All. The world champion reinsman looked to be in a hopeless…

Now we get the NZ Cup we all deserve. The Cup we sometimes felt like we would never get again. Bloody 2020 and 2021 could do that to you. Sap your strength. Make you forget how good felt. The things we all lost, even temporarily during Covid, were way more important than just some harness racing, some race day. But if you love harness racing, or…

Three southern bred pacers have previously won the Kaikoura Cup, but the Group Three harness racing feature has never been won by a pacer trained in the south. Trusty Scott (1987), Smiling Shard (2010 and 2011) and Arden Rooney (2014 and 2015), all bred south of the Waitaki have won the Cup but were trained outside of the region. But on Monday…

Leading Pacing Sire: Bettor's Delight | 9 winners Leading Pacing Broodmare Sire: American Ideal & Christian Cullen | 3 winners Leading Trotting Sire: Majestic Son & Love You | 3 winners Leading Trotting Broodmare Sire: Sundon | 4 winners I'm dead set running out of things to say when it comes to Bettor's Delight! Last week we discussed how'the…

Any fears cast earlier in the week of unsuitable Methven track conditions were emphatically dispelled with a gorgeous Sunday afternoon setting the scene for a big day of harness racing action at Mt Harding Raceway. Despite receiving October snowfall for the first time since 1969 as late as Wednesday, the grass track surface came up trumps for the…

The harness racing season goes overdrive this weekend but New Zealand's participation in the Inter Dominion is wavering. Addington's mega meeting this Friday (Sep. 30) sees most of the major New Zealand Cup chances engaged, with Self Assured (Bettor's Delight), Spankem (Bettor's Delight) and South Coast Arden (Somebeachsomewhere) to return in the…

A slimmed-down Alta Wiseguy (Mach Three) showed he is ready for the races when beating some of pacing big guns at the Rangiora harness racing trials on Wednesday (Aug 31). And that was enough to convince co-trainer Steve Telfer the speedster can head to the Avon City Ford Cup at Addington next week. Alta Wiseguy led throughout in the 2600m standing…

Wagering on the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup meeting yesterday (Tuesday, 9 November) has held up well in spite of challenging trading conditions on the back of last year's record harness racing meeting, TAB NZ figures show. The 3200m pace was won by North Island-trained Copy That, who led most of the way to win, providing Pukekohe trainer Ray Green…