#North Island

Stan "Tiny" Hill, who has died aged 92, was one of the toughest All Blacks of his era, and was once dropped from the side for being "too physical" when he knocked out a South African opponent; when New Zealand lost the next Test match, he was swiftly restored to the team and his abrasiveness helped them to win the series. He played 19 times for the…

Andy Haden, who has died of leukaemia aged 69, was one of the biggest, toughest and most controversial of All Black forwards, winning 117 caps for New Zealand between 1972 and 1985 (41 in Tests) and captaining his country eight times; but his reputation was overshadowed by accusations of cheating on the field and racist and sexist remarks off…

Good Morning Bloodstock is Martin Stevens' daily morning email and presented here online as a sample. Here he ruminates on a once familiar part of jumps racing in Britain and Ireland that is now almost extinct - subscribers can get more great insight from Martin every Monday to Friday. All you need do is click on the link above, sign up and then…

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…

Canterbury breeder Simon Pulley is full of optimism for harness racing in New Zealand. As a young lad living on the West Belt in Rangiora close to the racecourse, Simon always had an interest in horses. "My parents built a house on forestry land so there were trees between us and the racecourse. I remember walking across when the races were on. Way…

This article is part of our College Basketball Picks series. The college basketball betting board is hot again Friday, and Steve Peralta is back with a five-pack of plays for the evening slate. Gonzaga operates like a well-oiled machine. They will inevitably post an impressive record and score tons of points, however, this year's team is different…

Chris Rattue ranks the best sports to watch this weekend and beyond. 5) Rugby League World Cup: Samoa v France, Monday, 6am - Spark This is the pick of the World Cup action, althoughIreland could test the Kiwis (Saturday, 7.30am) if they continue to struggle finding top gear. Samoa and France will go toe-to-toe in Warrington for a quarter-final…

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…

North Island harness racing heads to Cambridge tomorrow night (Sep 29.) with an action-packed 10-race card to go with a non-tote two-year-old trot. Race six sees a cracking field of nine juveniles for the first North Island heat of the Woodlands Stud Sires Stakes Series for colts and geldings. The unbeaten Merlin (Art Major) headlines a quality…

OPINION: How the Black Ferns will fare on home soil isn't the only burning question ahead of the women's Rugby World Cup. Indeed, there's another pressing one New Zealand Rugby and World Rugby administrators are sure to be asking themselves, one they'll desperately hope the answer to is "yes". Will the punters turn up for games? They'd better hope…

Friday night (23 Sep.) harness racing heads to Alexandra Park where the first Group One of the Spring will headline a fantastic 11-race programme. While Caduceus Club Classic and Spring Cup will draw most of the attention on the night, there is also the first North Island heat of the iconic Nevele R Fillies Series along with the 24 running of the…

North Island harness racing heads south of the Bombay Hill's top Cambridge on Thursday night with the promise of some even fields and exciting betting races. And while the Waikato meeting may be void of some of the star power we have seen at Alexandra Park in recent weeks, only one of the eleven races on the programme has an odds-on favourite at…