HRNZ MEDIA BITES, MAY 22 Hi everyone, we saw another championship performance by Adore Me last week. Now she, and countless other top-class performers, make a bee-line for the Trust Ashburton Harness Jewels Weekend, June 1 and 2. Lone Star man with nine Jewels lives: We believe popular harness racing identity Trevor Casey will create history on Jewels weekend. Casey, the man behind the Lone Star Riccarton will no doubt be battening down the hatches for a busy period around the Jewels in his restaurant but at the races he’ll have an incredible nine runners across four races. Trotters are …
HRNZ Media Bites, May 15
HRNZ MEDIA BITES, MAY 15 The build-up to the 2013 Trust Ashburton Harness Jewels is well and truly on. This Friday’s superb meeting at Addington and other supporting meetings will only add to the build-up. Purdon’s Haul: It’s already been well documented the effort of the Mark Purdon team of horses last Saturday at Addington. Runners for the stable pocketed a cool $292k for their efforts in six of the 12 races. Looking forward to this Friday night the stable has 12 runners over five races and promises to dominate the features once again. Last week’s big winners, Adore Me …
HRNZ Media Bites, May 8
HRNZ MEDIA BITES, MAY 8, 2013 A big day of racing at Addington has been assembled this Saturday and the scramble for Harness Jewels spots is well and truly on. The meeting on Saturday also heralds the start of a North Island invasion looking towards the Trust Ashburton harness Jewels over Queens Birthday Weekend. Three way battle for Trotter of the Year? Stig’s win in the Rowe Cup has now created a potential dilemma for Harness Horse of the Year Voters. He, Vulcan and I Can Doosit are all multiple Group 1 winners this season. How the voters weigh …
NZMTC press release, May 8
Top Quality Premier Harness Action at Addington _ Saturday Premier Racing at Addington this Saturday has terrific fields carded including some of the best horse flesh in Australasia. The first feature of the day the Group 2 $60,000 Seelite Windows and Doors Sires Stakes 2YO Championship sees an even contest of talented juvenile trotters. There’s a lot of good form throughout the field with the likes of Daenerys Targaryen, One Over Da Moon, Dieu De L’amour (God Of Love), Trouble Rieu, Schleck and Hot Pants competing for major honours. Race 6 sees the highly talented and winner of …
HRNZ Media Bites, April 30
HRNZ MEDIA BITES, APRIL 30 Its Rowe Cup week and the build up to the 2013 Trust Ashburton Harness Jewels is gathering momentum. Lots of interesting bits to talk about in harness racing Alexandra Park this Friday: the current Premier, Classic racing at Alexandra Park may really be about the ushering in of a new guard of top class performers in New Zealandharness racing. Whether it’s the new breed of super trotter or the continued emergence of the dynamic Christen Me, the landscape is changing with a view to the new season, that lies in wait just a few months …
HRNZ Media Bites, April 10
HRNZ MEDIA BITES, APRIL 10, 2013 Christen Me not going to Miracle Mile: Despite a crushing win in the Superstars Championship last Friday at Addington Christen Me is going to stay home and tackle the features at Auckland before the Harness Jewels. That’s great news for Kiwi race fans, not so much for potential race rivals. There is the prospect of a clash with Gold Ace in the Messenger and Taylor Mile though. The two races opened up to four and five years will make for an interesting series of races but it will likely be a four-year-old that dominates …
HRNZ Media Bites, April 3
HRNZ MEDIA BITES, APRIL 3, 2013 Blitzthemcalder set to take on gun Trotting Derby field: This Friday’s Seelite Windows & Doors NZ Trotting Derby shapes up as a very strong one. The Aussie Blitzthemcalder will add significant flavour to the race and it promises to be a cracker with no clear top dog amongst the sophomore trotters right now. Clearly the likes of Habibti, Royal Aspirations, Sheemon and the Purdon trio of Paramount Queen, Saratoga and Sunoflindenny will put up a tough fight. Blitzthemcalder is staying at Mark Purdon’s All Stars Stables while in Canterbury. Chris Alford will take …
HRNZ Media Bites, March 27
HRNZ MEDIA BITES, MARCH 27, 2013 Vulcan returns home with a more incredible Group 1 strike rate: Vulcan as a racehorse is becoming a bizarre story. He’s been in scintillating form of late, which culminated in his Great Southern Star win last Saturday but when you dig deeper into his record that’s where the unusual reveals itself. It’s fair to say there have been few horses in history that have picked better times to win than Vuclan. The winner of 16 career races, he now has a remarkable Group 1-winning strike-rate. A staggering 9 of his 16 wins …
Jellignite paces 1:52.4 at Menangle
JELLIGNITE WINS IN 1:52.4 (My) Jellignite sprinted sharply fresh to win in career best 1:52.4 mile to take out the C5-7 $A7000 National Trotguide Pace at Menangle, NSW, on Tuesday, February 12. The 5YO Courage Under Fire gelding was given a good trip, trailing on the outer by Ashlee Siejka, and stormed past leader Angel Gabrielle in the run home to win untested by 7.9 metres. The leaders charged over the opening 800m in 55.1s and were running on empty tanks in the straight, the leaders running the last 400m in 28.8s. Fellow Kiwi Victors Delight settled four …
Invercargill January reviews, 2013
INVERCARGILL REVIEW, JAN. 26, 2013 Burnham trainer-driver Mark Jones will give promising 3YO filly squaregaiter Juneamy Castleton her chance against the best 3YO boys in the $25,000 Neumanns Bandag Hambletonian Classic at Ashburton on February 9. She was one of four driving wins at the Invercargill meeting on Saturday January 26 for Mark _ also scoring easily with unbeaten stablemate Saveapatrol, while he also won a Nevele R Fillies Heat with Flying Anvil, and the 1-2 win trot with Whitney. “We’ll have a go at the Hambletonian with Juneamy and see where she’s at,” Mark said. Juneamy Castleton is …