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Might make  sense having a 1700 raceday at Ashburton tomorrow if Nelson didnt have a miles day 2 days earlier, Nelson need to revert to 2400 races on day 2, I suspect it would help numbers.

Newmarket, it is absolutely stupidity coming from the Clubs programming these short distance races! If they believe it is going to encourage punters to wager they are delusional! If they think that these short races is going to entice  people to go on course for a day of short 2 minute races, then once again totally delusional! All horses can run a mile and it is just not appealing to the majority of harness followers, but then again harness officialdom are doing very little to keep the industry going! Whoever is deciding to program these miles are clearly not working in the best interests of trying to appeal to the public! There are a couple of horses that I wouldve wagered on, but not over 1700m!  

Chris So Wai-yin hopes his stable star Hong Lok Golf will be equal to the task as he steps out in distance at Happy Valley on Wednesday night for the Group Three January Cup (1,800m). The son of Grunt was a revelation in his first season in Hong Kong, winning six of his seven starts, including a pair of Class Two races. He ended the campaign with a victory on his first start at the city circuit over the 1,650m distance, before finding things a bit tough over an inadequate 1,400m on his return...View the full article

Whats with all these short distance races lately, apart from 2 x 2400m races the rest are 1700m?  I try to avoid betting on low class sprint races… 

How many punters are  getting a lot less $ on at agencies and PUB TAB’s on FIXED ODDS than they were? Personally know how damn frustrating it is when the Bookies only allow not large amounts on,  then slash the odds several times, making it look like all this money has come for a horse. It actually beggars belief that they are the only legal betting agency in NZ for horse racing, and yet they are not willing to take the punters on for any reasonable amount!!! Question needs to be asked why they are not prepared to have the Punters Promise limits for all bets and just not WIN BETS fixed odds? TAB/ ENTAIN are not trying to increase turnover on harness racing, and yet the CEO Brad Steele of HRNZ says nothing??? is this one of the reasons Dean Shannon was moved on from ENTAIN as he did not agree with what they were doing to harness racing in NZ? Personally don’t think they have got many that actually have business sense and the ones that have, have been moved on as they didnt like how Entain was operating! Is anyone allowed by the TAB Bookies to wager reasonable amounts????  

Zac Purton will ride Sagacious Life in next month’s Classic Mile after narrowing down an enviable shortlist that included the likes of Invincible Ibis, Little Paradise, Beauty Bolt and Top Dragon. By his own admission, this could be one of the most competitive opening legs of the four-year-old series in recent years and it was a decision that has given Purton a big headache over the last few months. But the champion jockey has ultimately picked the Pierre Ng Pang-chi-trained Brazilian import,...View the full article

The connections of last season’s gun three-year-old Savaglee have some pondering to do over the next few days. The Group One-winning stallion pleased in his first public hit-out of the season when placing in his 1100m trial at Ellerslie on Sunday, and now trainer Pam Gerard is contemplating where to kick-off The Oaks Stud-raced four-year-old. “I was really happy with him yesterday,” Gerard said. “He went to the line under a hold, he was never asked for anything, and it was just a nice day out. “He was a little bit on the fresh side, so he wanted to get along and get going a little bit. The time was good and his action was good. “He is never 100 percent happy going the Ellerslie way, but that hasn’t changed since he was a two-year-old. He pulled up well and we are happy with where he is at. “In the next few days we will make a decision where he kicks off.” Next Saturday’s Gr.1 Sistema Railway (1200m) on Karaka Millions night looms as an obvious target, however, Gerard said they may bypass the feature sprint in favour of heading to Te Rapa a fortnight later. “There are not a lot of choices, it is either the Railway or we miss the Railway and go straight to the BCD Sprint (Gr.1, 1400m),” Gerard said. “The trial was only yesterday, we are happy with how he has come through it, we think he has improved quite a bit off it and thought he was right on the mark to have a go at the Railway if we think that is the right place to go.” The son of Savabeel was runner-up in the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington last year, and Gerard said an elite-level scalp across the Tasman remains their primary objective as they look to Savaglee’s future stud career. “We could go straight over the Tasman, but realistically we need to be having one run here in New Zealand before we go,” Gerard said. “What he does here is also very important, but his main aim is something in Australia to make him valuable when he goes to stud.” Bred by Waikato Stud, Savaglee is out of unraced O’Reilly mare Glee, a full-sister to the dam of Dual Group One winner Orchestral, and a three-quarter sister to the dam of three-time Group One winner Daffodil. He was purchased by The Oaks Stud out of Waikato Stud’s 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft for $400,000 and went on to win two races as a juvenile, including the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m), before returning as a three-year-old where he won five and placed in three of his eight starts, including victories in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Gr.2 Levin Classic (1400m), Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m), Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m), and was third in his first test at weight-for-age in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) prior to his Australian Guineas runner-up performance. To date, Savaglee has won seven and placed in four of his 15 starts, and earned more than $1.2 million in prizemoney, and Gerard is hoping to quickly add to that tally. “We did the right thing and gave him a nice long break (after the Australian Guineas), brought him up nice and quietly and now he is back into it,” she said. View the full article

A return to Ellerslie next week is on the cards for promising three-year-old King’s English following his win in the Elsdon Park 1200 at the Auckland track on Sunday. The Snitzel colt has shown plenty of ability on the track, placing in his first two starts before breaking through for his maiden victory over 1150m at Te Aroha in November. He was subsequently freshened by trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson and was backed into $2.50 for his resuming run over the weekend. In the hands of New Zealand’s leading hoop, Craig Grylls, King’s English was beaten for early speed from his inside draw and settled midfield on the fence. Turning for home he had a wall of horses in front of him, but Grylls guided him into a gap out wide and he closed late to score a short neck victory over Confesara, with a further head back to Lubeck in third. While the race wasn’t run to his initial plan, Grylls was pleased with the way his charge finished off the contest. “I hoped to be handy like last time when he jumped with them, but he just didn’t hit the ground running today,” Grylls said. “So I was back there with them and he started looming into it to get a gap at the 200m and it was pretty exciting the way he jumped out of the ground inside the last 100m. “I think the penny is only just starting to drop with him now, but he’s got any amount of ability. He’s going to be exciting for the future.” Bergerson was pleased with the result and he is now looking forward to returning to Ellerslie next week with his colt to contest the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Almanzor Trophy (1200m) on Karaka Millions night. “He got back in a tricky spot, but fair play to the horse, he quickened when he needed to. It was a really patient ride by Gryllsy and he’s in fantastic form,” he said. “The horse is getting better and better. He has taken a bit of time, with a few maturity issues early on, but is slowly putting it all together. “The Almanzor Trophy seems the logical step as long as he comes through the race well. You would have to think he’d be a really strong chance off that win.” Out of dual Group One winner English, King’s English was purchased by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis out of Newhaven Park’s 2024 Inglis Australasian Easter Yearling Sale draft for A$700,000. He has won two and placed in two of his four starts to date and has earned just shy of $50,000. View the full article