#New Zealand Cup

The Ashburton Harness Racing Club's Labour Day meeting branded'Magic Monday' looks like it going to be just that, with a raft of great racing across the eleven race card. Southland trainer Nathan Williamson heads north with three runners, knowing they're all in for a challenge. Rakamurph (Captaintreacherous) lines up in the Woodlands Stud Sires…

Troy Harris and Catalyst are greeted by trainer Clayton Chipperfield after winning the Gr. 3 Northland Breeders' Stakes (1200m) at Ruakaka in September. If you think jockey Troy Harris has the easiest job in racing steering Catalyst around in the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton today, try losing 22kg. Because that is what the the man in the hot saddle…

Akuta (Bettor's Delight), the reigning New Zealand two-year-old of the year, and his co-trainer Mark Purdon made a big statement when taking out the time-honoured Hannon Memorial on Sunday afternoon (Sep. 18) in Oamaru. While the 2600m journey was a sedate affair (3:20.1) and the second slowest Hannon since 2005, the manner in which in Akuta was…

The team behind B D Joe (Roll With Joe) can dare to dream of winning New Zealand's greatest race after their star pacer's brilliant harness racing win in the $50000 Group Two NZB Airfreight Ashburton Flying Stakes (2400m). The NZB Standardbred graduate showed all of the speed, power and poise required to win a New Zealand Cup when powering to…

Here are five horses to back for the first Group 1 Grand Prix harness meeting at Addington, which starts at 12.15pm today. 1: Muscle Mountain (R8, No 1) Only one of trotting's big three turns up for this Group 1, and he should lead and win. The last time Muscle Mountain was in a sprint field of similar quality (no Sundees Son or Bolt For…

ARE we about to have our first locally owned Inter Dominion winner in the lower South East? To my knowledge, no local pacer (either owned or trained here) has ever won an Inter Dominion final but there is a possibility that could all change at Melton next weekend. Majestic Cruiser, owned here in Mount Gambier by Des and Heather Glynn, will be one…

A determined Lilly Laguna, ridden by Sarah O'Malley, gets her neck in front of La Flora Belle to win last Sunday's Waipukurau Cup. Photo / Supplied The connections of Hastings-trained Lilly Laguna were as shocked as the punters were when the mare took out last Sunday's $22000 Affco NZ Waipukurau Cup at odds of 40 to one. The Rios five-year-old went…

Big fields, crowds returning to Addington and competitive harness racing all added up to TAB NZ customers betting record amounts on yesterday's New Zealand Trotting Cup meeting at Addington. Turnover on yesterday's 13-race card reached $7.5 million, a record high for any New Zealand race meeting based on figures held for the last 20 years. This was…

The Australian raiders have made this New Zealand Cup. Win, lose or draw they have given harness racing's great race a heartbeat when it could easily have been just another glorified NZ free-for-all. And both the emerging Rock N Roll Doo (Rock N Roll Heaven) and seasoned warrior Majestic Cruiser (Art Major) are good enough to win it, too. But there…

Old Town Road's (Bettor's Delight) path to harness racing's IRT New Zealand Cup on Tuesday is one of the quickest in recent times. Derby (El Patron) started in the 1983 Cup at his fourteenth start while Happy Sunrise (Steven Stock) ran in the 1987 New Zealand Cup at his sixteenth start. Tuesday's Cup will be only Old Town Roads thirteen…

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…

At Addington last night, Southland owned Treacherous Gall (Captaintreacherous) did what others couldn't and came with a barnstorming run from the back to win the Dunstan Horsefeeds Sires Stakes Heat. Trained by former Southlander Regan Todd, the leggy two year old harness racing filly is owned by Dave Kennedy and Cleland Murdoch and last night was…

Canterbury harness racing heads to Addington tomorrow night (Oct 6.) and while some of the stars on the track will be racing at Methven later in the week, the meeting has attracted some firepower of its own. Heats of the Sires Stakes two-year-old series for the boys and the girls are to be contested, and so too another heat of the Nevele R Fillies…

Sunday afternoon Harness Racing at Phar Lap Raceway was given a little extra spice with the injection of the Spring Rewards series for horses that battle round in the rating system. Races seven through ten were run for an upgraded stake of $20000 and were met with a fantastic response. Full fields and even betting races are always a hit with the…

Harness racing action heads to Addington Raceway tomorrow night (30th Sep.) for an action-packed twelve-race card, headlined by the 52nd edition of the time-honoured Canterbury Classic at Group Two level. The likes of Self Assured, Spankem, Cranbourne, and South Coast Arden will be making their race day resumptions as the road to the New Zealand…

Copy That's (American Ideal) tilt at Melton success came up trumps in harness racing's TAB Gammalite Free For All on a night when Pryde's EasiFeed Victoria Cup intrigue only intensified. Trainer Ray Green received reward for taking the New Zealand Cup champ across the Tasman on Saturday night, with Copy That having stalked Bondi Lockdown and…

Kiwi star Copy That starts his road to redemption at Melton on Saturday night. It was just over nine months ago when the reigning New Zealand Cup winner - then arguably New Zealand's best pacer - had a Melbourne raid derailed by a freakish paddock accident. Copy That lashed out in his yard and fractured a splint bone in a hind leg. But…

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…