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FIRST IRT HARNESS JEWELS AUSTRALIAN INVITES

HRNZ Media Release,  Monday, April 29, 2019

The first two Australian representatives for the 2019 IRT Harness Jewels have today been confirmed.

Lulu Le Mans (2YO Diamond) and Major Occasion (4YO Diamond) have been invited to wear the Australian Jewels colours and compete in this year’s edition of the IRT Harness Jewels, to be held at Addington Raceway in Christchurch on Saturday,  June 1.

Lulu Le Mans, with NZ co-trainer, Mark Jones.

A Kiwi-bred daughter of Bettors Delight and Elusive Chick, Lulu Le Mans has returned to New Zealand with two wins to her name and also group placings in the Group Two Sapling Stakes and Group Two Pink Bonnet.

Lulu Le Mans is trained by Aaron Goadsby and Mark Jones and is currently in New Zealand racing in the two-year-old fillies’ features.

She will compete again this week at Alexandra Park in the Magness Benrow NZ Sires Stakes Two-Year-Old Fillies Championship

Major Occasion will fly the flag for Australia in the Four-Year-Old Diamond, and brings with her an impressive array of achievements in her homeland.

Major Occasion is trained by Chris Frisby and has recorded four wins from just ten starts alone this season, including the Group Two Sebelia Stakes over one mile in 1.50.4. She was also a game second in the Ladyship behind Dream About Me in March.

She also competed at the highest level as a three-year-old, finishing second in the Queeland Oaks to Sociable.

Interest from Australian connections this year has been extremely high, hot off the back of the strong showing from Australian horses in the Harness Jewels in 2018.

Although Shez All Rock became the first Australian Jewels winner last year at Cambridge, she was under the care of Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen. So we are yet to have an Australian trained Jewels victor.

More Australian invites will be announced in the near future.

Courtesy of Jess Smith, HRNZ Media Marketing

FIRE BUG WINS FIRST-UP AT MENANGLE

The Overport Lodge developed filly (Wahs) Fire Bug was an impressive first-up winner at Menangle (NSW) on Tuesday, April 23, in 1:52.2 (1609m) for her new connections.

Fire Bug (3f Mach Three-Timeless Perfection), bred by Cavalla Bloodstock and a debut winner at her only NZ start at Winton in 1:55.3 (1609m) on March 23, was subsequently sold out of the Mark Jones stable.

Now raced by Scott McDonald from the Peter Hanson stable, (Wahs) Fire Bug was given every chance from the two gate by Luke McCarthy in Tuesday’s Alabar Pace.

She trailed Major Obahma until the home turn, then switched wide she cruised to the front and won with a bit in hand by 7.5 metres in the $9540 C0 pace.

Fire Bug is the third foal and individual winner for her Christian Cullen dam Timeless Perfection (1:56.9, seven wins from only 13 starts), having left earlier winners, Time Traveller (1:48.2, nine wins & $36,888) and First Class Lady (1:57.4, four wins & $31,155).

Her fourth foal, the two-year-old Plutonium Lady (2:00.8, qual), also shows promise for the Mark Jones stable. She ran seventh at her only start to date in Sweet On Me’s Magness Benrow Sires Stakes Fillies Heat at Addington on April 12.

Timeless Perfection is a half-sister to former smart NZ pacer, Malak Uswaad (1:49.4, USA, 21 wins & over $567,074), and Red Moon Rising (1:52.6, six wins $42,820), while an unraced sister Lady Moonlight has left another smart Australian winner in Blue Moon Rising (1:52.8, 13 wins & $135,294), the 2016 Victoria Tatlow 2YO Stakes and NSW Sapling Stakes winner, and another Overport Lodge winner in Getarattleon (1:57.2, four wins & $32,435).

Grand-dam Sirius Flight (1:54.4, US) is a daughter of 1993 NZ Oaks winner Pacific Flight (1:51.2, US, 47 wins & $562,345), a sister to smart 1980s pacer The Unicorn (1:57.8, 29 wins & $488,424).

Pacific Flight, who left a smart USA pacer in Droppinthehammer (1:50.2, nine wins & $323,617), has also starred in NZ as the grand-dam of Chicago Blues (p3, 1:58.1), the dam of NZ-bred WA superstar Chicago Bull (1:51.6, 40 wins from 61 starts & $1.6 million).

Fire Bug furthers a good recent run by ex-Overport Lodge pacers in Australia with Si Si Senior winning three of four NSW starts for the Michael Formosa stable.

He overcame the outside of the second row in his most recent win at 50-to-one in the $15,900 Central West Equine Honouree Stakes Final at Bathurst on March 29, in 1:55.3 (1730m).

ROCK N JOY DELIVERS AT NARRABRI

Rock N Joy relished the sprint trip, first-up, in New South Wales, at Narrabri on Monday.

The Mark Jones and Aaron Goadsby-trained mare, backed into $2.90 favouritism late, had a good run through from three on the second row for driver Guy Chappie, quickly finding a one -out and one-back trail.

Rock N Joy, a first-up winner after returning to New South Wales on Monday.

Left in the open a lap and a half out, Chappie made a spirited play for the lead, crossing second favourite Aunty Bessy beginning the final lap.

Aunty Bessy was out and challenging again before the home straight, with the two favourites having the finish to themselves.

Rock N Joy kept kicking to hold by 1.4 metres in a 1:57.9 mile rate for the 1760m.

Bred in Australia, Rock N Joy, from a strong-winning NZ filly family, was purchased as a yearling for the Mark Jones stable by Starmark Ltd and Grant Hatton.

The daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven won two of 22 NZ starts (Gore and Westport) but had settled for four placings in NZ since December 30, including a second to Dreamy Damien at Addington on April 12.

She’s the first foal from Joyfuljoy (1:51.6, US), who won the 2009 Harness Jewels 3YO Diamond at Ashburton in a then NZ 3YO fillies record of 1:54.4 for the Mark Purdon and Grant Payne stable.

Joyfuljoy racked up 11 NZ wins including the 2009 NZ Sires Stakes 3YO Fillies Final and ran second to Lauraella in the 2009 Great Northern Oaks.

Joyfuljoy (Mach Three-Joyfulbelle, 1:56.3) furthered the second half of her career in North America with six additional US wins, taking her earnings to $480,442.

Her younger half-sister Bettor Joy, a winner of $308,000 in Australasia for the Cran Dalgety stable, ran second to North American stablemate Shartin N in the big $US402,600 Blue Chip Matchmaker Final at Yonkers last Sunday (NZ time).

Jumpforjoy (1:55.8, seven wins including the 2011 Southland Oaks), a Bettor’s Delight sister to Bettor Joy, has left another smart filly/mare in Somejoy (1:53.2), who won eight of 20 starts for the Clark Barron stable.

Also on the Narrabri progamme, lightly-raced stablemate A Gift From Heaven (3g Rock N Roll Heaven-Shes Ezy) suffered his first defeat in three starts.

A Gift Of Heaven, from three on the second row, led the chase behind front-running $1.10 favourite Uncle Jord, who won easily by 17.4 metres in a 1:59.7 rate for the 2160m.

HRNZ APPLAUDS PETERS’ ANNOUNCEMENT

By Garrick Knight

Harness Racing New Zealand has welcomed the announcement made on Wednesday by Racing Minister, Winston Peters, that he says will revitalise the domestic racing industry.

According to Peters, the Government will introduce two new pieces of legislation before the year is out designed to overhaul an industry in a “serious state of decline”.

“The Coalition Government supports the overall intent of the Messara Report and is committed to reforms,” said Peters in a statement.

“We know we have the grass, the race animals, and the people to help the industry achieve its potential.

“As a result, Cabinet has agreed to a stepped approach with the introduction of two Bills to amend the Racing Act 2003.”

The first, which is expected to be enacted by the start of July, will put into immediate effect a transitional governance arrangement ostensibly ending the New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) in its current iteration.

The Bill proposes the NZRB be reconstituted as the Racing Industry Transitional Authority (RITA) to drive the transition of the industry.

“It is essential to have this transitional governance in place,” said Peters.

“RITA will have a legislative mandate that encompasses change management as well as the current business-as-usual functions and powers of the NZRB.

“As a result of RITA’s work, the government anticipates a second racing amendment Bill to proceed later in 2019.

“It will implement the remaining reforms including post-transition governance,” he said.

As well the change in governance, an expected pay off to the bill amendments will be the enforcement of tariffs on overseas bookmakers who take bets from New Zealanders.

Harness Racing New Zealand’s General Manager, Peter Jensen, says Peters commitment to implementing the recommendations of the controversial industry review written by Australian John Messara last year was to be applauded.

“We welcome the announcements from the Minister of Racing today and congratulate him on leading the systemic change that the industry requires through the Messara review and the subsequent implementation of its core recommendations.

“We are delighted that legislation is on the way to enable the industry to rightly generate revenue from offshore bookmakers reflecting the wagering they take on product we provide.

“HRNZ is committed to continuing to work with the Ministerial Advisory Committee and the associated working groups to deliver meaningful and lasting industry change.”

Courtesy of Garrick Knight, NZ Harness News

LULU LE MANS WINS IN 1:56.7

Sheree Tomlinson’s big week continued at Newcastle on Saturday night.

The youngest female centurion in NZ is also making a name for herself across the Tasman.

In late November, she won the Australasian Young Drivers Championship in Queensland.

This weekend she’s winning in New South Wales, continuing her association with a couple of the Mark Jones and Aaron Goadsby runners, on Saturday and Sunday.

The Overport Lodge junior teamed up with stable runner  Lulu Le Mans for a half-head win in 1:56.7 for the 1609m in the NBN Televison Two-Year-Old Pace.

The $1.75 favourite finished best from three back in the running, and is is expected to derive benefit from the race, her first for nearly a month.

This was the second win in five starts for Lulu Le Mans, a daughter of champion sire Bettor’s Delight and the first foal from big-winning McArdle mare, Elusive Chick.

She was Group Two-placed at her previous two starts at Menangle, finishing third against the colts to Mach Dan in the $50,000 Slingsby Holdings Sapling Stakes on March 2, then second to Eye Can Run in the $50,000 Allied Express Pink Bonnet on March 9.

Sheree reunites with capable three-year-old Barrett at Armidale on Sunday.

Barrett, a luckless eighth in the Bathurst Gold Chalice on March 29, was reined by Tomlinson for back-to-back NZ wins at Roxburgh and Addington on January 4 and February 15.

She also drove him when third to Robyns Playboy and Memphis Tennessee in the Caduceus Club Of Southland Super Nugget Final at Invercargill on March 9.

SHEREE TOMLINSON YOUNGEST FEMALE CENTURION

History was made in cold and wet conditions at Forbury Park on Thursday night when Sheree Tomlinson because the youngest female driver to win 100 races in New Zealand.

The 20-year-old completed the feat when the Shane Matheson-trained Hurricane Banner stomped up a slushy passing lane to win.

Tomlinson saluted as she notched a milestone that she said she never would have dreamed of achieving so early in her career when she started driving.

Sheree Tomlinson, after winning the 2018 Australasian Young Drivers Championship.

“That was great, I definitely did not think I would drive 100 winners only in my third season of driving.”

The accomplishment sits beside her Group 1 victory in the 2017 Dominion with Amaretto Sun and her win in the Australasian Young Drivers Championships last year, in an epic top-three achievements in a short, but stellar career.

Adding more wins to the three she scored in the young drivers’ competition is the next target on Tomlinson’s agenda.

Her employer, Mark Jones, has given Tomlinson the chance to further her career in New South Wales this weekend.

She will drive possible Harness Jewels raider, Lulu Le Mans, from Jones’ Australian stable, at Newcastle on Saturday night.

Tomlinson will also reunite with Barrett at Armidale on Sunday.

“I really want to take the opportunity to go over there and drive; not many New Zealand drivers get the chance to drive in Australia.”

“I have only been working for Mark for a year and he has given me a lot of opportunities.”

As well as Jones, Tomlinson paid tribute to family for supporting her career.

The reinswoman also said she would not have been able to reach the heights she has without the help of trainers all over the South Island.

“Obviously I wouldn’t be able to drive at the big meetings if I didn’t get the wins before then.”

“So, that is down to the trainers all over the country that have supported me.”

Shane Matheson has been one of the trainers that have got behind Tomlinson’s career.

She said it was a thrill to notch her 100th win with Hurricane Banner in his stable’s colours.

“They are one of my main stables and it is great to get a milestone like this for them.

“They support me a lot driving down here. And the horse, too; he has been so honest.”

Tomlinson continued on her winning way with an upset victory at Addington’s premier meeting on Friday night, reining home Smoke N Reactor for Jones.

• Courtesy of Jonny Turner, NZ Harness News