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Wood seeking early Easter Success at Ellerslie
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Williams one to watch on Winton Cup day
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Oaks and Derby Prelude night at Alexandra Park
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Group One Performer Steps Up to Mile Challenge
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Atmospheric Set for Stakes Debut at Ellerslie
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
By Michael Guerin A remarkable stat for one of harness racing’s most surprising careers could get another boost in the national junior driver’s champs at Addington tonight. The series brings together 12 of our best young drivers for six heats, two at Cambridge last night, two at Addington tonight and the final two at Methven on Sunday. The series was for years casually referred to as “the boys’ champs” because until about 20 years ago most of those competing in it were male. That name clearly doesn’t suit any more as the last seven championships have been won by female drivers, Sarah O’Reilly with a remarkable four as well as Kerryn Tomlinson, Alicia Harrison and last year, Crystal Hackett. One of the six females competing this season is northerner Monika Ranger, who admits she only got into driving “because I had nothing to lose” and has earned the respect of leading northern drivers for the way horses respond to her. After Cambridge last night she has a two point lead heading into tonight’s third and fourth heats at Addington after a win with Melton Mogul and a second placing with Patrick Mahomes. She has 29 points, with closest rival Carter Dalgety on 27. Horses are assigned to drivers by random draw and Ranger has two decent chances in Major Happy (R6, No.5) and Donna’s Boy (R7, No.5) at Addington tonight, the latter a smart trotter for trainer Bob Butt. While Ranger is having a career-best season with 20 wins, she has really excelled partnering trotters, which account for 11 of those victories, which can only be a confidence boost for those considering backing Donna’s Boy tonight. “I love driving trotters, even more than pacers,” says Ranger, whose previous personal best was 16 last term. “It has been a really good season and I am lucky to have a loyal bunch of trainers who put me on so often. “When I started driving I didn’t think it would get to the level it has now, it was more or less because I had nothing to lose. “So I am looking forward to being part of the series again but I might be the boring one. I am 30 now so I might be the Nana of the group,” she laughs. While junior drivers love being part of the series Ranger admits it comes with a little more work. “When I drive up here I tend to know the horses quite well but for something like this series, and this is my third time competing, I will do a bit more video work on the website. “I liked the look of Major Happy, she looks really nice and consistent and Donna’s Boy was really good on Cup Day when he showed good gate speed.” It took a wonderful performance from a race rival tonight in He Aint Fakin (Emily Johnson) to beat Donna’s Boy on Cup Day and the two northern female juniors look set for good points in at least that heat as they try to make it eight straight years that a female wins the series. The series has set up beautifully, completely by fluke, with the random draw of drives seeing a very even spread of talent, with many of those participating being Friday night regulars at one of our two biggest tracks. Both tonight’s heats failed to attract the capacity 12 runners so the drivers who miss out on a drive in any heat get seven points added to their overall tally. While the best version of former pacer He Aint Fakin may well win tonight’s second heat (and fourth overall) for Johnson the pacing heat looks more open, with Ellie Barron on favourite Classie Linc while Wilson House gets his chance to continue a massive season with a good chance drawn the pole in Sandy Shore. Sam Thornley, no stranger to winning Drivers Series, partners last start Addington winner Brandi Snapp. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
By Michael Guerin Todd Mitchell is looking forward to getting back on two speedy trotting stablemates at Alexandra Park even though he knows he might just be keeping the seat warm on one of them. The four-time New Zealand Cup- winning driver partners two winning chances from the Wallis/Hackett stable including one of the big movers of the northern trotting spring in Belle Neige (R6, No.10). Belle Neige won three races in a month in August-September and while Mitchell has driven her before he gets on tonight as regular driver Crystal Hackett will be at Addington for the New Zealand Junior Drivers Champs. “She is a really nice mare so it will be good to get back on her but it isn’t an easy assignment,” admits Mitchell. “She is off a decent handicap and it is a good field for this grade. “I am sure she is being aimed at the mares Group 1 trot in a few weeks so she should improve with the run and I actually thought her stablemate Hillbilly Blues would be hard to beat off the front.” The latter has always looked an open class trotter in waiting as he can peel off 57-second last 800m sectionals and is developing the strength to compliment that speed. It is a deep field though and a rarity being an 11-horse race at Alexandra Park in which any one of them could win without surprising. Earlier in the night Mitchell partners Shesgold (R4, No.4) in a far easier race and she is back doing what she loves best. Shesgold has had five career wins and all have been in 2200m standing starts, four at The Park and two with Mitchell in the sulky. “You can forgive her last run because she got parked out on a strong speed which doesn’t suit her but this looks more her race,” says Mitchell. “And I think she is best with two weeks between her runs so she gets her chance on Friday.” Shesgold meets a progressive trotter in Stone Cold and a horse showing talent in Hill Billie Bundy as well as the once-promising Levi in a tricky little field. While other trotters like Look To Da Stars (R2, No.10) will attract plenty of punter attention tonight the class race of the meeting is the handicap pace in which Captain Sampson (R7, No.4) takes on smart old pacers in the $30,000 Thames Goldfields Cup. Captain Sampson is a lovely three-year-old on his way to the top but was nutted on the line last start by a race rival tonight in Little Spike at Cambridge. They start off the same 20m handicaps tonight as they did last start so Little Spike is an obvious danger for trainer Arna Donnelly, who also has The Surfer and Jolimont (30m) in the standing start 2200m. View the full article -
By Chief Stipe · Posted
Should The Everest a Slot Race have Group 1 status? -
By Chief Stipe · Posted
Asian Pattern Committee to meet on Australia’s black-type uncertainty Asian Pattern Committee delegates are set to meet this week to discuss Australia’s black-type program and its place within international conventions. https://bitofayarn.com By Tim Rowe Racing Industry November 27, 2025 The Warra is one of a number of upgraded NSW races which hasn’t be internationally recognised on pedigrees. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images) Australia’s long-running inability to find a uniform solution to its black-type calendar is likely to be the subject of a specially convened Asian Pattern Committee meeting on Friday.https://bitofayarn.com The Straight understands that the APC is set to come together two weeks earlier than planned to discuss Racing Australia’s inaction in having an approved system in place to determine the Pattern races run across the country’s states and territories each season. An APC meeting was scheduled for December 12, two days before the Hong Kong International meeting at Sha Tin. It’s unclear whether that meeting will also proceed. Separately, it is also unknown if Racing Australia has provided correspondence to the APC in recent months regarding the issue, which continues to frustrate sections of the racing and breeding industry. Advertisement It is believed that the APC may have given Racing Australia a mid-November deadline to respond to the issue. It is not known if this response has been received. Racing Australia’s scheduled September meeting, in which the Pattern was a central agenda item, did not go ahead when it was unable to achieve a quorum because Racing NSW was not represented.https://bitofayarn.com Racing NSW and Racing Victoria hold power of veto over the national body and, in effect, for change to occur both principal racing authorities (PRAs) need to agree on a path forward for the Pattern, which has been in abeyance for several years. Racing Australia’s APC delegate, Racing SA chair Rob Rorrison, declined to comment when asked by The Straight whether it had put forward a proposal about the Pattern or indeed whether a meeting was to be held this week. Asian Racing Federation secretary general Andrew Harding also declined to comment when contacted. Previous attempts to contact APC chair, Japan Racing Association’s head of race planning Takahiro Uno, have been unsuccessful. One of the options which could be open to international authorities such as the APC when addressing issues of compliance with pattern guidelines is a recommendation of a demotion to Part 2 of the International Cataloguing Standards Book, known as the Blue Book. Last year, a proposal to introduce ratings-based Black Type Guidelines as a way of overhauling Australia’s Pattern calendar was set to be adopted, only for some states to back out due to participant backlash. Racing NSW pushed on and upgraded or placed stakes status on numerous races.https://bitofayarn.com However, that black-type is not recognised internationally nor does it feature in pedigrees and bloodstock sale catalogues in Australasia or overseas. When it appeared as though Australia was making Pattern progress about 14 months ago, international authorities did agree to grant Group 1 status to Racing NSW’s The Everest and Racing Victoria’s All-Star Mile. Last year’s Everest winner Bella Nipotina and this year’s Hong Kong fly-in Ka Ying Rising both earned Group 1 status on their pedigree pages as a result of their victories in the $20 million race. Tom Kitten’s All-Star Mile victory at Flemington in March was also recognised domestically and internationally as his second win at the highest level. The Group 1 badge awarded to both races was seen as a stepping stone toward an overall reshaping of Australia’s black-type protocols, but it also sparked fears that smaller states could be the biggest losers if a hardline, ratings-based approach to upgrading and downgrading stakes races were implemented. It proved to be a major obstacle for the respective PRA delegates on the Racing Australia board, who so far have been unable to reach an agreement, continuing the years-long impasse involving the future direction of the Pattern. -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
A breeding right to Mehmas topped Thursday's Arqana November Online Sale when going the way of Hugo Merry Bloodstock for €180,000. The sire of nine individual Group winners and 48 stakes winners from his first five crops, the Tally-Ho Stud stallion's leading performers in 2025 include the top-level winners Believing and Wise Approach. A share in the unbeaten Prix du Jockey Club and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Ace Impact was another highlight of the sale when knocked down to Horse France for €152,000. Based at Haras de Beaumont, Ace Impact's first foals have sold for up to €220,000. The National Hunt stallions Goliath du Berlais and Nirvana du Berlais also proved popular, with a breeding right to the first-named horse selling to Christophe Bridault of Espace Trot for €84,000. Meanwhile, a share in Nirvana du Berlais, the sire of the Grade 1-winning hurdler Lulamba, was bought by Highflyer Bloodstock for €80,000. Of the 24 lots offered, 18 sold for a total of €871,500. The post Breeding Right to Mehmas Tops Arqana November Online Sale at €180,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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