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    • Harness Racing New Zealand has today released the official list of stallion service fees to assist breeders, owners, and trainers in determining eligibility for the Harness 5000 Series. Eligibility for the series is based on stallions that stood for a published service fee of $5,000 or less in the year of conception. The published list provides clarity around which progeny qualify under this criteria. Click here to see the stallion service fees list. In addition, HRNZ has released a list of horses exported since 1 August 2023. These horses may still be eligible for the Harness 5000 Series, provided they return and meet the requirement of a minimum of five raceday starts in New Zealand between 3 July and 9 December 2025. Click here to see the list of exported horses that may be eligible. These releases are part of HRNZ’s ongoing commitment to transparency and supporting participants in planning for this exciting new series. For any queries or clarification, please contact cameron@hrnz.co.nz. View the full article
    • The crossover between New Zealand’s two equine codes will go to a whole new level with a rare dual-code weanling sale at Karaka today. Participants in either thoroughbred or harness racing investing in what used to be seen as the rival code is nothing new, with plenty of owners having shares in both gallopers and harness horses. The crossover goes right to the top of the two codes too, with one of our most decorated thoroughbred trainers Graeme Rogerson having a long-term, successful standardbred training operation which he has dragged plenty of his galloping mates into. Most recently champion harness trainer Mark Purdon has been seen training gallops winners at Ellerslie, Waikato Stud boss Mark Chittick bought a trotting yearling this year, while numerous harness trainers like Mark Jones, Todd Mitchell and, with a winner last week, Jason Teaz also train at least a few gallopers. But while the crossover in investment is nothing new, selling both breeds of horse on the same day at Karaka, as will happen on Thursday, is. The radical move is made far more seamless now New Zealand Bloodstock runs both the thoroughbred and standardbred sales and by the fact Thursday’s sales are for weanlings – horses born last spring. While thoroughbred yearlings on the whole look more refined and bigger than a standardbred yearling, most weanlings of either code still look very babyish – equine kids rather than teenagers. So the physical disparity won’t be anywhere near as pronounced as it would be selling yearlings on the same day, which would be a step too far by thoroughbred purists. Weanling sales give breeders the chance for a winter cash flow boost as well as an opportunity to reduce the numbers they will prepare for next year’s yearling sales, which is a more expensive process. For buyers it is a chance to purchase horses far cheaper than they could next January or February, while there are obvious opportunities for pinhooking – meaning a weanling purchased this week could be given time to mature and head back to the yearling sales in summer and make many times its purchase price tomorrow. Regardless of the motivations or opportunities a weanling sale provides, it will still be a worldwide rarity to see babies from both breeds being sold on the same complex just hours apart – thoroughbreds in the morning and the standardbreds in the afternoon. New Zealand Bloodstock managing director Andrew Seabrook says while there are economic benefits in the two numerically smaller sales being combined, tomorrow’s test case goes further than that. “We are seeing a lot more cross investment between the two codes which can only be good for racing in New Zealand,” says Seabrook. “Racing is strongest when both codes are strong and we have so many owners, breeders and trainers in both codes who are investing in the other. We expect that to continue this week. There will be a lot of good judges from both codes on the sales ground at the same time and it is only natural they will be talking to each other.” The thoroughbred weanling sale market across the Tasman has been strong in recent months and while buyers, particularly pinhookers, can afford to be selective at a weanling sale, there is still money to be made. Last year’s top price at the Karaka weanling sale was a $170,000 Satono Aladdin filly sold by Brighthill Farm and there is plenty of stallion power in tomorrow’s thoroughbred catalogue, with most of New Zealand’s elite stallions represented. The standardbred weanling sales tend to be cheaper but are well supported by two of the industry’s biggest studs in Woodlands and Alabar because they simply can’t take all the horses they breed through to the yearling sales. Respected Australian breeding operation Yabby Dam Farms will also be selling at tomorrow’s sale. All weanlings purchased today will also be eligible for each code’s sales series races – the Karaka Millions for the thoroughbreds and Harness Millions for the standardbreds. The standardbred weanlings (and yearlings) will also be Next Gen eligible. The thoroughbred sale starts at 10am while the first standardbred will go under the hammer at 2.30pm. View the full article
    • Stacey White can’t wait to get to Brisbane. The “trip of redemption” as she calls it is about to hit top gear. Not only is star trotter Bet N Win right on target for the Inter Dominion trotting series, but stable newcomer Betterthancash has emerged as a genuine contender for the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun. Both will be in action Saturday week and White, along with young sons Lachlan and William, will land in Brisbane the day before that to join husband and co-trainer, David. “After so many years working on the media and marketing side of the sport, it’s weird being on the other side for something as big as an Inter Dominion,” White said. “I grew up watching great horses win the big races and to have one of our own is pretty hard to believe, really. It’s very exciting. It’s the sort of thing you dream of but never think will actually happen.” Bet N Win, who booked his Queensland raid with a timely return to winning form in the Group 1 Rowe Cup on May 2, effortlessly won his only start since with a “stopover” victory in a 2300m Menangle free-for-all last Saturday night. Earlier in the night, Betterthancash ran a slashing second to fellow Kiwi pacer Pinseeker, in the opening race. Betterthancash’s run thrilled the Whites and driver Bob Butt after he spent early petrol to lead and stuck on so well. “They head to Brisbane Friday and David said he couldn’t be happier,” White said. “Bet N Win looks one of the best hopes in a fascinating trotting series. It’s a bit hard to line them up because the key runners are coming from different places and formlines. I’m just thrilled David is so happy with him.” It’s a trip of redemption because 12 months ago Bet N Win brilliantly won the Stellar Square at his first Albion Park run and looked to have the Group 1 Great Square at his mercy the following week. That’s until he developed a hoof abscess which eventually forced him out of the Great Square and ended his Brisbane hopes. “I’ve been saying to people at home, we’re going back to finish what we started,” White said. Betterthancash, who won seven of 25 NZ runs for Regan Todd, will face a star-studded mix of three and four-year-olds in the Rising Sun, headed by the likes of Bay Of Biscay, The Janitor, Rubira and Fate Awaits. “His gate speed was the exciting part the other night, hopefully he draws to use it next week,” White said. “Even though things went wrong in Brisbane last year, David and I still rate that Stellar Square win as one of our greatest moments when we travelled a horse for the first time. It’ll be great to get back and be part of what looks like a terrific few weeks of racing.” The Whites did salvage something last year, picking up three-year-old Major Hot to train before he went on to upset Bay Of Biscay in the Group 1 Queensland Derby. View the full article
    • A Music Clue for the BOAY Interdominion Quiz today . This great song must been about the same time as the Wonderful horse . Just change a few words and it could be about him 😎. " everybody's going to jump for joy"  1/  Who is the horse could we sing about today ?  2/  Who is the amazing Trainer that took him to Interdominon glory  ? 3/ A stand-in Driver was needed for the Grand Final. Who?   and what remarkable feat did he achieve during that Interdominion series that hasn't ever been achieved again ?  Pop any answer here with a post to get Comp points OR  Just enjoy the Great Song if you can't pick him !!!!!       
    • Paul Nelson will chase his eighth crown in Saturday’s Aztech Engineering Wellington Hurdle (3200m), and he’ll attempt to do so with a couple of horses that have done it all before. The Hastings horseman won two editions of the feature whilst training on his own, with Solid Steal (2010) and The Shackler (2017). In the following year, he was joined in partnership by long-time stable member Corrina McDougal, and since then the pair have won the race five times in a row, with four different horses. Their dominance began in 2019 with No Tip before the COVID-19 outbreak removed the race from the calendar in 2020. The Cossack picked up his crown in 2021, Suliman in 2023, and Nedwin claimed the top spot in 2022 and 2024. Both Suliman and Nedwin will take their place on Saturday, the latter reverting back to hurdles after kicking off his season over the bigger fences. The son of Niagara starred in his maiden steeplechase at Te Rapa, then returned to the venue to run third in the Waikato Steeplechase (3900m), albeit a distance from the first pair. “He punched a fence pretty badly, which just took the stuffing out of him there,” Nelson said. “I feel that, with having had a couple of steeplechases, he’s well enough seasoned to cope with the heavy track that we’ll encounter on Saturday.” A classy hurdler in his own right, Suliman was off the scene last season and has had a couple of conditioning runs on the flat and over hurdles leading into the two-mile contest. “I hope Suliman is going well, his run on the flat the other day was good,” Nelson said. “Both of these horses are proven on the Wellington track, if they handle the going, you can keep going back and have another go.” The stable will also be well-represented in the Grant Plumbing Wellington Steeplechase (4900m), with their two-pronged attack including defending champion The Cossack. Things haven’t quite gone to plan for the star 10-year-old since his win in last year’s edition, with an untimely injury ruling him out of the Grand National meeting, and the remainder of the season. After undergoing rehabilitation, The Cossack was welcomed back in the Waikato Steeplechase (3900m) at Te Rapa a fortnight ago but fell after jumping awkwardly at the last fence. While disappointed with the result, Nelson and McDougal were happy to see the gelding return home unscathed. “We’re very happy with him, he didn’t appear to have any ill-effects after Waikato,” Nelson said. “Corrina (McDougal, training partner) has been very happy with his work, and that’s all we can go by.” The son of Mastercraftsman will carry a clear topweight under Dean Parker, while a recently returned Emily Farr will continue her association with stablemate The Anarchist. “We’re hoping he can find a bit of new pace and get around there, he’s just an absolutely dour stayer so hopefully he can pick up a bit of money,” Nelson said. “Emily Farr is going to ride him, she does get along well with him, and he seems to run well for her.” View the full article
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