Always back the horse named self-interest, son. It'll be the only one trying
We stand corrected in our criticism of the abandonment of the Ashburton race meeting on Sunday, after a reader has brought to our attention that it was not the state of the track that caused the races to be called off, but rather 200km winds that ripped through the Canterbury region, making in dangerously unsafe […]
As we have written a few times, leading NZ driver John Dunn seems to make a habit in recent times of calling in sick to Sunday meetings after having a big drink at the pub or stables the night before. We’ve lost track of the number of times it’s happened now, but it’s far too […]
One of the most successful owners in harness racing history Ian Dobson has passed away at the grand old age of 90. Mr Dobson, a self-made man who started with nothing and through a combination of early frugality, brains and hard work went on to become quite a wealthy man, owned a remarkable 31 Group […]
Two of the three TAB race cards in New Zealand in the past two days have kicked off on Good 4 tracks then been abandoned mid-meeting, one in Rotorua in the north island and other down in the south at Ashburton. In neither case was there any significant rainfall that would cause this to occur, […]
The Kiwi stewards and integrity board are far more strict on the application of the whip rule than their cousins over the ditch here in Australia. That was proven again on Friday night at Addington when Mark Purdon copped an 8 meeting suspension for using the whip on his pacer Chase A Dream with more […]
What you see above is from a story in yesterday’s NZ Herald by the doyen of Australasian harness racing writers Mick Guerin, the man of a million facial expressions. Trainer Matthew White doesn’t work out of Cambridge, and hasn’t for some time now. These days White trains at Clevedon, 2 hours to the north. You’d […]
What an absolutely outstanding contest tomorrow night’s Group 1 3YO Flying Stakes run over 1980m at Addington is, as you’d expect from a top-flight race that has been won over the years by champions of the ilk of Master Musician, Il Vicolo, Holmes GD, Courage Under Fire, Monkey King, Auckland Reactor, Changeover, Lazarus, and Copy […]
The Kiwis are going crazy about their slot runner I Wish I Win in the Everest, and under the new partnership with Entain isn’t the race being outstandingly promoted? There hasn’t been this much NZ interest in a race over the ditch since the Melbourne Cup for years. This is the sort of thing you’d […]
How does a horse who won last start when it’s driver carried a whip turn out at its very next start without one? Have the connections turned into animal libbers? Why would they make such a decision? An even better question is why the Stewards would allow them to. It doesn’t do a lot to […]
Repeat Pat was a 5YO in hitherto fine fettle until 3 weeks ago. And then it died. On the training track. The official story is that it drowned in the pool. Only the person telling that tale and the Wizard’s apprentice in Christchurch square believe it. Why is that so many seemingly healthy horses from […]
