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By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk  Jacob Dunn looks like the one to follow at Manawatu today. The Auckland-based junior driver has seven drives on the eight-race programme. All look set to be well supported, headlined by hot favourite Twista in the Osborne Group Chartered Accountant Wairarapa Cup (6.47pm). “It’s a great book of drives … I’d say Twista is the best of mine.” His last start was a 10th in the Thames Country Cup at Cambridge nearly a month ago. “This is a big drop back and he had no favours last start when he was three wide the trip.” A six-race winner, Twista is currently at $1.90. Four of his runners, including Twista, are for the premiership leaders Stonewall Stud and co-trainers Steve and Amanda Telfer.   Still in his first year of driving Dunn has 16 wins in 2025, half of which have come with Telfer-trained horses. “They have been a big help and been so great to me.”  The Telfers have 164 wins for the year, just four shy of Roy and Barry Purdon’s record haul of 168 set in 1993-94.  “We have talked about it a bit and hopefully we can get closer to the tally today.” Among his better chances in the blue and white checkers is SS Guppy ($3.50) in Race 1. “He’s a wee bit funny in his gait but he found the line well last start and as long as he gets the track looks a great chance.” Then there’s the likes of Cyamate in Race 5 – “He’s been racing good and comes up with a nice draw.” His first experience of driving at Manawatu was the two-day meeting there during NZ Cup week on November 10 and 13.  “It’s good I’m going in there with a bit of experience because it’s a lot different from driving at Cambridge and Auckland.” “At Palmy you want to be on speed and we should be handy enough.”  His other two drives are Lincoln Downs ($5.50) in Race 3 for Ray Green and Nathan Delany and Matai Harry for Michael House ($2.40) in the last. Both have second row draws.  “This a drop back for her (Lincoln Downs), she’s been racing some nice 2YOs … with luck she looks a top three chance.” “He (Matai Harry) drops out of Addington racing … just another chance in a great book of drives.” Jacob Dunn’s Drives : R1 SS Guppy ($2.05) R3 Lincoln Downs ($5.50) R4 Princess Lisa ($2.20) R5 Cyamate ($3) R6 Elizabeth Hill ($6.50) R7 Twista ($1.90) R8 Matai Harry ($2.35)  Racing starts at 4.17pm      View the full article

Group One winner La Dorada (NZ) (Super Seth) will make her New Zealand return at Te Rapa this weekend following a frustrating spring in Melbourne. The daughter of Super Seth was a standout juvenile last term for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, winning four of her five starts, including the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), and was runner-up in the Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m), on her way to being crowned New Zealand Champion Two-Year-Old. Her handlers elected to test her talent across the Tasman over spring, but she disappointed in her two starts out of Te Akau’s Cranbourne barn, finishing unplaced in the Gr.1 Moir Stakes (1000m) and Gr.3 Scarborough Stakes (1200m). “Her first-up run was against the older horses, and it was a pretty tough field, but second-up it was a set weights three-year-old fillies race and she disappointed in that, so we just pulled the plug,” Walker said. “Some fillies don’t come up in the spring, so hopefully in the summer and autumn she regains her form.” La Dorada returned to New Zealand and has been pleasing in her work at Matamata and was given the tick of approval following her exhibition gallop at Te Aroha on Sunday. “We are happy with her,” Walker said. “She resumes on Saturday at Te Rapa.” La Dorada is set to line-up in the three-year-old 1200m handicap where she will be ridden by stable apprentice Hayley Hassman. “She will carry a bit of weight so we will claim off her with Hayley, who is going very well,” Walker said. All going to plan over the next few weeks, Walker is hopeful of earning a spot in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) with his filly. “The Karaka Millions is the aim at this stage, and we will be guided by what she does on Saturday and another run before the Karaka Millions,” he said. Walker is also excited about the prospects of her two-year-old half-brother Golden Pulse (NZ) (Tivaci), who won on debut for the stable over 1147m at Geelong last week in the colours of his owner Yulong Investments. “He was pretty professional,” Walker said. “He can get a bit colty but he was certainly good.” La Dorada will be joined at Te Rapa on Saturday by several stablemates, including Group One winner Captured By Love and Group One performer Qali Al Farrasha. Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) was set to contest the Gr.1 Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham last Saturday but was scratched in favour of heading to Te Rapa seven days later. “She was a bit off in the feed bin and we thought we would wait a week and go to Te Rapa on Saturday to either the J Swap Sprint (Gr.3, 1400m) or Cal Isuzu (Gr.2, 1600m),” Walker said. “She was better over the weekend and seems back to her old self.” If she heads to the latter, she will be joined by Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) (Almanzor), who was impressive when winning the Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) at Pukekohe last start. “Qali Al Farahsa is in the Cal Isuzu and she should run well,” Walker said. “It was a really nice win in the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’.” View the full article

Brent Cooper’s band of syndication supporters enjoyed a weekend to remember with a winning double headed by star racemare Provence (NZ) (Savabeel) in the Gr. 1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m). More than a decade and half since dipping his toe in the water by establishing the Auckland Racing Club’s Winners Circle Syndicate, Cooper takes special pleasure that the same group of enthusiasts is still in the winning groove. “When I was a director of the Auckland Racing Club, I came up with the idea of providing people with low-cost entry into racehorse ownership,” Cooper said. “The club supported the idea and we got lucky when Waikato Stud provided a filly for lease that was named Masquerade (NZ) (No Excuse Needed). She was trained by Stephen McKee and became our first feature winner when she won the Soliloquy Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Ellerslie in 2009. “It’s quite incredible to think that the same syndicate is still operating with many of the same people involved and they’re now having a ball with Provence. “I’m proud of the fact that the model of a manageable number of syndicate members has worked so well that 40 of the original 55 Winners Circle Syndicate members are involved with Provence.” The Savabeel mare, raced in partnership under a lease arrangement with her breeder Tony Rider and trained by Stephen Marsh, is now a triple Group One winner after her successes last season in the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) and Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m). Saturday’s nail-biting Trentham win was Provence’s seventh from 19 starts and took her stake-earnings past $1 million. It was also the 30th win for syndicates managed by Cooper. “It’s all about relationships, and it’s definitely made easier when you’re working with good people like Stephen Marsh and Tony Rider,” Cooper said. “I said recently that racing’s full of dreams as well as the occasional nightmare, and that’s something I was reminded of on the weekend. “Our Social Racing Starting Gates Syndicate won a race at Te Aroha on Sunday with Cosmopolitan (NZ) (Anders), who we also race in partnership with Tony, who bred her, and is trained by another good trainer mate, Graham Richardson. “On the other side of the equation, our runners on the weekend also included one that we thought was an absolute certainty but could manage only fifth, and another that ran last. “Racing horses is something that certainly keeps your feet on the ground.” Family commitments meant Cooper and his wife Wendy couldn’t make it down to Trentham on Saturday, which added to the tension surrounding Provence’s win. “Saturday was also our daughter Shelby’s birthday party down in Tauranga, so that’s where we were, watching the race on our phones in a restaurant in Papamoa,” he said. “It was a pretty stressful experience having to wait so long for the judge to confirm the result after a photo-finish malfunction, but the main thing is that we eventually got the result we were all hoping for.” View the full article

On the Dec. 8 episode of BloodHorse Monday: Brook Smith back on Derby trail with Paladin, BloodHorse's Bob Kieckhefer previews this weekend's Hong Kong International Races.View the full article

Edited Press Release The launch of a comprehensive review aimed at updating the veterinarians' list and stewards' list categories across U.S. Thoroughbred racing, with changes targeted for 2026, was announced Monday by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). Through this initiative, HISA aims to modernize and harmonize these oversight tools, providing additional insights into national safety metrics. Beginning in 2026, HISA will conduct a detailed audit of existing veterinarians' and relevant stewards' list categories across racetracks, state racing commissions and HISA's rules. As part of this process, HISA will distribute a comprehensive survey in early 2026 to regulatory veterinarians and stewards, and will conduct in-person interviews with those groups to gather information on current practices. The collected responses will be used to document the range of vets' list practices and identify areas where differences exist across jurisdictions. Once the information-gathering phase is complete, HISA will conduct an internal analysis of the findings to identify patterns, gaps and areas where updates may be needed. Following this review, the organization will work with its advisory groups to evaluate potential approaches for future veterinarians' and stewards' list categories. The process will include consultation with a broad range of stakeholders, including owners, trainers, racing offices, attending veterinarians and other industry participants. Input from these groups will inform the development of a system that is practical, fair and aligned with the industry's commitment to equine welfare. “The current structure of the veterinarians' list and relevant stewards' lists, which are based on legacy categories created decades ago, varies widely across states and racetracks and, in some cases, is no longer fit for purpose in a modern, national racing environment,” said Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, director of equine safety and welfare at HISA. “We're thrilled to be launching this initiative, which will provide clarity, consistency and fairness in a system that affects horses, veterinarians, trainers and owners alike.” “As with any HISA initiative, our goal is to promote equity among all stakeholders and ensure more transparency into national safety metrics, while providing appropriate protections for horses identified as being at increased risk for injury.” At the conclusion of this project, HISA will release its findings publicly and outline a set of modernized veterinarians' list and stewards' list categories. The post HISA to Conduct Comprehensive Review of Vet and Stewards’ List Categories appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dual Melbourne Cup (G1)-winning trainer Joseph O'Brien believes Al Riffa can provide him with a first winner at Hong Kong's prestigious International meeting when the entire takes his chance in the Dec. 14 Hong Kong Vase (G1) at Sha Tin Racecourse.View the full article

There you go again with your made up nonsense to back up an argument. I have said before I have never belonged to a club and for the record I do not drink whiskey. This my final post period. You probably need to get out more but meantime feel free to go back to your cupboard and argue with yourself to your hearts content.  

Frankie Dettori's farewell tour moves on to South America this week, although there has been a change of plan for where his glittering career, will finish early next year.View the full article

By Michael Guerin If some of the biggest names heading to Alexandra Park on Friday are going to win they are going to need to do it the hard way. Because plenty of the favourites face either handicaps or tricky draws in the five richest races as things start to hot up in northern harness. Friday hosts two Group 1s, one each for the female trotters and pacers and both 2200m mobiles have seen early favourites cop second line draws. The $100,000 Woodlands Stud Queen of Hearts will see impressive recent winners Esmeralda and Francent drawn alongside each other on the second line and if the second emergency Melody Banner is scratched then the two South Island mares will start from barriers 1 and 2 on the second line. That will see them follow out Group 1-winning fillies Arafura (barrier 1) and Captains Mistress (2), with Ruby Roe alongside them at 3 on the front line. That could prove to be advantageous for one of the mares following through but it is hard to see it being good for them both in what could become a very tactical race. The draws were enough to see the TAB bookies open Arafura the $3.50 favourite even though she was beaten fair and square by Francent after leading last Friday. The $100,000 TAB Queen of Diamonds Trot also sees one of the favourites in Belle Neige draw barrier 1 on the front line with her stablemates American Muscle and Faith In Manchester drawn wider but southerners Walkinonsunshine (1 second line), Hidden Talent and Ya Rite Darl have all drawn the second line. Akuta and Merlin resume their rivalry sharing a 20m backmark in the $60,000 Lincoln Farms Franklin Cup and while they were on par in the Kaikoura Cup their subsequent NZ Cup week form sees Merlin open the $1.75 favourite over Akuta at $3.80 in a race where Arna Donnelly has three reps, Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan have two with Akuta the only other runner in the six-horse field. Also drawing a small field but with the potential for the favourites to find themselves having to swoop is the Co-Op Taxis Northern Stakes for three-year-olds pacers. Captain Sampson and Greased Lightnin are the two tightest-assessed in the field but are drawn barrier four and five so their tactics early will be interesting. And the main trot both Oscar Bonavena and Mighty Logan will start from 20m behind albeit in a race lacking front line depth and few other open class regulars. To see Auckland’s fields click here  View the full article