Davis

I think you are being too harsh. It was a tight finish in that race with two and a half lengths covering the first six home. The Dominator was held up for a run twice in the straight.

He/she choked.

Correct. Horse work is poorly paid. You can get more on the dole so why bother with the unsociable hours, working in all weather conditions, weekend work and few staff benefits? Instead sign up for the Job Seekers benefit and a job for life.

Hardly surprising as stables hands poorly paid and one can earn more on the dole, er... Job Seekers benefit. Early starts in all weathers, weekend workout... nah, lets sign up for the dole. 🤣🤣

Group 1 Kiwi reinsman Josh Dickie set for Victorian moveMichael Guerin 30 JUL 2021 One of New Zealand’s most talented young harness trainers is moving to Victoria in a shock decision that will see Josh Dickie officially stop training in NZ from tomorrow. But rather than see the move as a curtailing of his training, Dickie hopes it will benefit both his training and driving careers long term. Dickie and partner Sammy Kilgour are planning to move to Victoria in November to train from Kilgour’s property close to the Melbourne's metro racetrack at Tabcorp Park Melton. The move comes partially because the property Dickie trains from in South Auckland is soon to be placed on the market by owner Marilyn Hoggard, whose late husband Kerry set it up for horse training before he passed away in 2015. While the property may not be sold for up to a year, Dickie says he and Kilgour have failed to find a suitable replacement training establishment in South Auckland so the time is right to move. “Marilyn was always going to sell the property one day and she has been great to us since Kerry passed away,” said Dickie. “So when she told us the news we went out to try and find another property and we simply can’t get the right one. “Sammy has her own property in Victoria, with a training track and stables, so it makes sense. “We have talked about moving there before and I am really keen to have a shot at freelance driving over there as well and then building up a team so now is the time to try.” With the move coming in a few months the 30-year-old will transfer the horses he currently trains to his father John’s name tomorrow but remain working with him until he moves. The pair trained in partnership until last year when John stepped away from full-time training, but he has still been hands-on in the business and will resume training officially tomorrow. He could remain on the current property for the foreseeable future until it is sold, or even after, depending on the new owner’s plans. “Now we have made the decision to head to Australia we wanted to put the horses in Dad’s name as soon as possible, rather than changing them all over in October,” Dickie said. His move is a loss for the NZ harness racing industry, but especially in the north, as he is already an enormously accomplished horseman with Group 1 victories on both sides of the Tasman and the business acumen and skills to help fill the void that will be created when some of the industry’s giants, many well into their 60s, retire. “I am really keen to concentrate on my driving over there but also be available to take on not only local horses but New Zealand horses people may think will be better off being based over there.” Article courtesy of NZ Herald

Perhaps they should fine the other drivers in the field that make no attempt to improve? If a horse is jogging slowly in front, don't just sit there and do nothing making it a sprint home, pull out and make a race of it.

Er... Butt was his son-in-law.

Australian Group 1 double-header for American owners 24 July 2021 in Australia, International 0 The love affair with Australian harness racing began more than two decades ago for American owners Gordon Banks and Marc Hanover. But that has just been amplified for the cousins following the huge success they have had over Queensland’s Constellations Carnival. It ended on a perfect note with a Group 1 double-header thanks to their mare Amazing Dream taking out the $250,000 Blacks A Fake Championship and American Dealer winning the $102,000 Queensland Derby at Albion Park tonight. “It’s 7am here in New York and we made sure we were up early to watch the races,” said Banks following Amazing Dream’s win.“It’s thrilling and fun . . . the Queensland Carnival has got to me, it’s the best results we’ve had over a Carnival, it’s just a shame we couldn’t be there. “It started with winning the Rising Sun and the Rising Sun Consolation, then the South East Derby not to mention being beaten a head in the Golden Girl, and now the Queensland Derby and the Blacks A Fake Championship! “It’s been tremendous and it’s hard to picture anything above that.” American Dealer claims the Queensland Derby at Albion Park. The Creek APHRC Kate Butt. Amazing Dream and American Dealer are two of the 35 horses Banks and Hanover currently own. At one stage the pair had 99 horses racing all over the world. Their venture into the Australian scene began in 2000 with the In The Pocket mare Tupelo Rose who put together a handful of victories in-a-row straight after they purchased her along with owner John Curtin. Tupelo Rose won the Victoria, Queensland and Australian Oaks following the sale as well as some wins at Moonee Valley before continuing her stellar career in the United States. That same year, Banks and Hanover made another significant purchase. “Back in 2000 we bought Presidential Ball for breeding and he became the second leading stallion here and that’s when harness racing became serious for us,” said Banks. “I grew up in New York and one of my friends in college was a trainer. “I finished law school in 1982 and he asked if I could find him a horse and found this $3000 claimer that won his first five starts for us. “That was the beginning of trouble,” Banks joked. Banks and Hanover have now enjoyed some big moments in harness racing since then and now have an Australasian Grand Circuit victory to their list of success thanks to Amazing Dream’s upset win in the Blacks A Fake Championship. At starting odds of $61, Amazing Dream beat the boys yet again and held off fast finishes from Rockin Marty and race favourite King Of Swing who broke gait in the early stages of the race. “Amazing Dream’s win was unexpected,” said Banks. “She likes racing where there’s action and she likes to beat the boys . . . doesn’t every woman? “We paid a significant price for her and it was a pleasure dealing with Jean Feiss who previously owned her . . . she was the first one on the phone to congratulate us. “Amazing Dream will head back to Nathan Purdon’s and have a break before we consider races such as the Kilmore and Victoria Cup, Breeders Crown and depending on how she is, maybe the Inter Dominion. “I’m not a big believer to bring them to America that if they are dominating where they are so she will stay Down Under for now.” The same can be said for American Dealer who won three of his five starts in the Sunshine State. “He will head to Kevin Pizzuto’s after this win and have a break and his next major targets will be the Victoria Derby and Breeders Crown,” said Banks. “Depending on what is happening with COVID at the time, he could race in Victoria with Nathan for those races. “It was great to get this win with him because he has never got the respect he deserves. “He always had terrible barriers in New Zealand and it was driving me crazy so to get this win was special. “And for Amazing Dream to win after that was just tremendous.” By Amanda Rando for Harnesslink

Can Dexter Dunn win the Hambletonian or Hambletonian Oaks? The 3-year-old trotters battle it out at The Meadowlands. Post from Harnesslink... Posts drawn for Hambo & Oaks elims 28 July 2021 in International, USA This season’s five fastest 3-year-old trotters – Dancinginthedark M, Sonofamistery, Johan Palema, Locatelli, and Really Fast – as well as 2020 award-winners Venerate and On A Streak were among 16 sophomore colt harness racing trotters entered in the $1.1 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Two eight-horse $50,000 eliminations will be contested Saturday, with the top-five finishers from each group advancing to the $1 million Hambletonian final on Aug. 7. A total of 20 horses entered the filly companion event, the $570,000 Hambletonian Oaks, including 2020 O’Brien Award winner Donna Soprano and Breeders Crown champion Lady Chaos. The top-five finishers from Saturday’s two 10-horse $35,000 eliminations will meet in the $500,000 final, also on Aug. 7 at the Big M. Elimination winners will draw for post positions one through five. The remaining finalists will go in an open draw after the elimination winners receive their post. Post positions for the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks finals will be drawn 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3, on Meadowlands Facebook live. Both finals will air live from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Hambletonian Day, Aug. 7, on CBS Sports Network. First-race post time on Hambletonian Day is noon. In Saturday’s second Hambletonian elimination, Yonkers Trot winner Johan Palema meets a field that includes 2020 Dan Patch Award-winning colt Venerate, 2020 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champ Captain Corey, 2021 New Jersey Sire Stakes champ Really Fast, and 2020 Breeders Crown runner-up In Range. Ake Svanstedt, who won the 2017 Hambletonian with Perfect Spirit, trains Captain Corey and Johan Palema. The Yonkers Trot, held July 2, was the first jewel in this year’s Trotting Triple Crown, followed by the Hambletonian and October’s Kentucky Futurity. Svanstedt also sends out two colts in the first elimination, Yonkers Trot runner-up Ambassador Hanover and Delayed Hanover. The field also includes Stanley Dancer Memorial division winners Dancinginthedark M and Sonofamistery, both trained by Marcus Melander, 2020 O’Brien Award-winning colt On A Streak, and 2020 Peter Haughton Memorial winner Zenith Stride. Dancinginthedark M won his Dancer division on July 17 in 1:50.1, this season’s fastest time, and Sonofamistery scored in 1:50.2. Melander also trains In Range in the other elim. Really Fast is among three horses from the stable of Nancy Takter, along with Locatelli and Spy Booth. No trainers other than Svanstedt, Melander, and Takter have more than one entrant in the Hambletonian eliminations. In the Hambletonian Oaks eliminations, Donna Soprano enters off a 1:51.3 win in a division of the Del Miller Memorial on July 17 at the Meadowlands for trainer Blais. The time is the fastest of the season by a 3-year-old filly trotter. Her elimination, the second of the two, includes 2020 Indiana Sire Stakes champion Swift Swanda, Pennsylvania champ Flawless Country, New York-stakes standout Iteration, and recent Grand Circuit winner Piper Hanover. The first elimination features Lady Chaos, You Ato Dream, Beltassima, Darlene Hanover, and Bella Bellini. You Ato Dream, trained by Jeff Gregory, most recently won a Del Miller division by a half-length over Lady Chaos. Beltassima, from the stable of Tony Alagna, won the New Jersey Sire Stakes title in May and Brett Bittle-trained Darlene Hanover captured the 2020 Jim Doherty Memorial. Bella Bellini, a multiple winner this year on the Pennsylvania-stakes circuit for Nifty Norman, finished second to colt Johan Palema in her most recent start. Racing begins at 6:20 p.m. Saturday at the Meadowlands. Following are the fields for the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks eliminations. Hambletonian Elimination One (Race 6) PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-ML 1-Cuatro De Julio-Lucas Wallin-Marie Ortolan Bar-8/1 2-Zenith Stride-Andrew McCarthy-Mark Harder-15/1 3-Delayed Hanover-Dexter Dunn-Ake Svanstedt-5/1 4-On A Streak-Dan Dube-Luc Blais-8/1 5-Ambassador Hanover-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt-9/2 6-Sonofamistery-Brian Sears-Marcus Melander-3/1 7-Dancinginthedark M-Tim Tetrick-Marcus Melander-2/1 8-Spy Booth-Dexter Dunn-Nancy Takter-15/1 Hambletonian Elimination Two (Race 10) PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-ML 1-Locatelli-David Miller-Nancy Takter-10/1 2-Rattle My Cage-Andrew McCarthy-Anette Lorentzon-12/1 3-Johan Palema-Yannick Gingras-Ake Svanstedt-5/2 4-In Range-Tim Tetrick-Marcus Melander-8/1 5-Really Fast-Dexter Dunn-Nancy Takter-3/1 6-Venerate-Andy Miller-Julie Miller-4/1 7-Captain Corey-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt-5/1 8-Take All Comers-David Miller-Jim Campbell-10/1 Hambletonian Oaks Elimination One (Race 5) PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-ML 1-Contested Hanover-Scott Zeron-George Ducharme-15/1 2-Bella Bellini-Dexter Dunn-R. Nifty Norman-5/2 3-My Abigail-Dan Dube-Luc Blais-15/1 4-Lady Chaos-David Miller-Linda Toscano-5/1 5-Wet My Whistle-Yannick Gingras-Ake Svanstedt-12/1 6-Material Girl-Tim Tetrick-Lucas Wallin-15/1 7-You Ato Dream-Jeff Gregory-Jeff Gregory-9/2 8-Beltassima-Andrew McCarthy-Tony Alagna-3/1 9-Chablis-Todd McCarthy-Jonas Czernyson-20/1 10-Darlene Hanover-Scott Zeron-Brett Bittle-10/1 Hambletonian Oaks Elimination Two (Race 9) PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-ML 1-Donna Soprano-Dan Dube-Luc Blais-7/2 2-Hot As Hill-David Miller-Ron Burke-8/1 3-Swift Swanda-Tim Tetrick-Erv Miller-9/2 4-Dutiful-Corey Callahan-Jonas Czernyson-8/1 5-Flawless Country-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt-15/1 6-Iteration-Brian Sears-Marcus Melander-10/1 7-Piper Hanover-Andrew McCarthy-Tony Alagna-3/1 8-Mazzarati-Tim Tetrick-Lucas Wallin-12/1 9-Awesome Trix-Brian Sears-Chris Beaver-8/1 10-Big City Pearl-Verlin Yoder-Verlin Yoder-20/1

Another good story from Adam Hamilton. I think the carnival was a great success. NZ horses and horse people performed brilliantly. Amazing Dream was the highlight of the carnival for me. What a mare!!! Copied from Harnesslink Hamilton: The stars and highlights from a magical carnival THE FORUM Adam Hamilton 26 JUL 2021 Last Updated 26 Jul 2021 It was the carnival that had it all. When Racing Queensland enhanced it’s winter carnival, adding a few new Group 1 features and bolstering stakemoney, it hoped to become a real destination event of Aussie harness. It’s only taken one year and defied all the travel hassles of a pandemic to do so. The chorus of praise from participants likened the TAB Constellations Carnival to the glory days of the Inter Dominion when participants and fans would gather from all parts of Australia for great racing and celebrate the sport. Perhaps passionate Queensland harness sponsor and horseman Daren Garrard said it the best and most simply: “The trots back in Queensland!” Here’s my snapshot of some of the many stars and highlights, with apologies to those I may have overlooked because there were so many. ANTHONY BUTT The champion driver put on a clinic across the five weeks of the Constellations, continually showing the right mix of daring, poise and aggression to land in the right spot. Finished with three Group 1 wins, only beaten a head in another when Copy That was second in The Rising Sun. Despite the obvious distractions of a split with leviathan owner Emilio Rosati, Butt had his biggest night last Saturday with Group victories on Tough Monarch and American Dealer. RAY GREEN The highly-respected veteran Kiwi was anything but a household name in Australia, but he is now. The way he built his three pacers – Copy That, American Dealer and Tommy Lincoln - through his six weeks in Queensland was stunning. Copy That finished with two wins, including the Group 1 Sunshine Sprint, a close second in The Rising Sun and a brave fourth in the Blacks A Fake. American Dealer was beaten at his first two runs, then strung together three wins, including the Group 1 Queensland Derby. NATHAN PURDON As I penned in a story for NZ, what is it about Nathan Purdon and Queensland? He’s only been there twice as a trainer and won the Blacks A Fake both times, first as trainer and driver of Ohoka Punter in 2016 (beating Hectorjayjay) and now with Amazing Dream. He raised the bar this year, also winning the inaugural Group 1 The Rising Sun. The timing is perfect with Purdon having made the bold move from NZ to set up in his own right as a trainer at Lara, just outside Geelong in Victoria. How good is it having NZ’s most famous harness and arguably racing family being a full-time part of Aussie harness now! AMAZING DREAM Her deeds should and will go down in history. She came across from NZ with a stunning CV, but also under a cloud. She’d had plenty of hard racing and there were genuine concerns whether she could still rough it with the big boys. Didn’t she prove that to be nonsense. Sure she had gorgeous runs behind the leader both times, but she had to have the weapons to find that spot and then utilise it. First it was former trainer Mark Purdon who partnered her to win The Rising Sun and then Blair Orange drove almost a replica race to snare the Blacks A Fake. Albion Park racecaller Chris Barsby said she’s the first mare to beat the boys in an Aussie Grand Circuit race since Baby Bling won the Miracle Mile in 2013. AMERICAN DEALER He may have been the smallest pacer to race during the Constellations, or at least very close to it, but what a motor and will-to-win he packs. Most felt he was struggling in NZ before coming across, but trainer Ray Green had faith. The jury was out after defeats at his first two Albion Park runs, but then Green weaved his magic and American Dream finished with three successive wins, including the Group 1 Queensland Derby. It’s great he’ll be staying in Australia, first with trainer Kevin Pizzuto in Sydney and then down to Nathan Purdon for the Victoria Derby. PINK GALAHS The darling of Aussie trotting added so much excitement and flair to the Carnival. Her sparkling brilliance through wins in two heats and the final of the Darrell Alexander series was special. The extra layer was the memories she stirred of Australia’s greatest ever trotter, Maoris Idol. She’s part-owned by Maori’s Idol’s driver Bryan Healy and carries the same racing colours. It was a wonderful stroll down memory lane thinking back to Albion Park in 1978 when Maori’s Idol took on the pacers in the Clive Uhr championship, winning both heats before a fantastic second to Rip Van Winkle in the final. Pink Galahs should continue to excite for years to come. TOUGH MONARCH The old guy is a rising 10-year-old, but has he ever raced better? Maybe that’s a big call because he’s already won Group 1 races in NZ and Australia, but there was a commanding stamp of authority about his one appearance at this Carnival when he did all the work and dominated the Group 1 Queensland Trotters’ Cup. “He is just a great, great horse,” trainer Rickie Alchin said. Plenty of credit goes to Alchin who has travelled Tough Monarch all around Australia and NZ and kept him at his top for so long. Now a home state NSW Inter Dominion awaits later this year. KRUG Sure his complete body of work may have been slightly disappointing given the massive hype Krug brought with him from NZ. But he was the horse who ignited the whole Constellations Carnival. The way he bludgeoned his rivals around Redcliffe in the Derby at his first try around the quirky triangle track back on June 26 was breathtaking. Maybe being in so many big wars this season caught up with him because he just wasn’t quite the same horse in The Rising Sun or Queensland Derby. CHRIS BARSBY We are blessed with some wonderful race callers in Australia and Barsby is right up with the best of them. It cannot be overstated just how important the caller is to lift the great racing action to another level and build excitement. Barsby oozes passion, knows his form, loves his craft and is Albion Park in the eyes of many. Kudos to him also for being willing and able to fit some expert commentary work on Sky Racing Active around his calling duties on the big nights. BRITTANY GRAHAM What a find for the sport this young lady has been. First touted by the great Kevin Seymour as having serious on-air potential, Brittany has grown from a nervous, self-doubting attendee at the Sky Racing Academy to one of the most knowledgeable, engaging and complete presenters Sky has. She’s a treasure for harness racing. If she was working on thoroughbreds, her name would be right up in lights. Showcasing the big meetings is crucial to taking harness racing out to a broader audience and Brittany is the backbone of this going ahead. DAVID BRICK The brainchild behind this amped-up Constellations Carnival, especially the innovative new The Rising Sun. There’s no better or more broad-thinking harness administrator in this part of the world. Take a bow. THE COVERAGE A massive tick to Racing Queensland and Albion Park for the fantastic coverage of the Constellations. Vitally, they continue to explore new, different and exciting ways to enhance the coverage. Big team effort from local providers Sam and the team at PSP, former Aussie cricketer Lee Carseldine of Droneit (for the drone footage) and Sky Racing bringing it all together. L L COOL J He’s one horse you’d love to own off the back of this Carnival. Dipped into the big league to win the Redcliffe Cup, but it was his third in the Mr Feelgood Open Pace and luckless fifth in the Blacks A Fake – both from awful draws – which underlined his potential. He could be one of the absolute stars of this Carnival next year, if not even beforehand in big interstate races. ROCKIN MARTY Oh what could have been. He won’t get many mentions, but a metre here or there and he would have been one of stars of the Carnival. He didn’t win a race, but was beaten a total of 4.1m across his three Queensland starts. No horse hit the line better in the big two, the Sunshine Sprint (third, beaten a whisker) and Blacks A Fake (second, beaten 1.3m). It may well be a breakthrough campaign which lays the foundations for David and Brad Hewitt has a genuine home state Inter Dominion player later this year. CAT KING COLE It wasn’t the greatest of Carnivals for local horses, but this filly looks a bit special. She’s still raw and paces quite extravagantly, but oozes potential. She made it five wins (and a close second) from just seven starts winning the Group 1 Triad final. Now she takes on the boys in the Australian Gold next month. It was good to see Darren Weeks and Kylie Rasmussen snare a big win after losing Spankem to injury early in the Carnival. * pictures by Dan Costello (@DanRacingWrap)

I think you make some good and valid points Galah. There have always been big stables around, the likes of G. Noble, J. Smolenski, R. Purdon and Ces Donald, so that is nothing new. I am interested in how the Telfers fare in the South Island. Their South Island training base, ex Jack Smolenski, has already produced many winners, including a few champions. With the upgrades it should be a model establishment to rival the All Stars training base in Levi Rd? Good luck to them for investing in harness racing in the south and believing in themselves. Whether it will be for the good of harness racing long term is another story?

There's a good story about Amazing Dream. What a great mare she is, speedy and tough, she never gives up. Well driven by Blair Orange, he won it at the start. Who knew she had such gate speed? Copied from HRNZ website. Amazing Dream and Purdon do it again 25 July 2021 , News By Adam Hamilton QUEENSLAND is a place most people go for a holiday, but it’s where Nathan Purdon goes to win Group 1 races. Purdon’s two trips to the Sunshine State as a trainer have netted three Group 1 wins. The first came back in 2016 when he trained and drove Ohoka Punter to upset Hectorjayjay in the Blacks A Fake. Purdon raised the bar this year, winning two Group 1’s – both with champion Kiwi mare Amazing Dream. “It’s unbelievable really. I didn’t think it could get much better than when I won with Ohoka Punter, but the past few weeks have been just incredible,” Purdon said. “I’m still a bit shocked we won this one, actually. I think most of us thought we were running for second, but things changed after the start. “In these very best races, it often comes down to who gets the best run and she got in the right spot again tonight. It was a great drive from Blair (Orange).” But Amazing Dream’s deeds cannot be understated. Not only did she win the inaugural The Rising Sun two weeks earlier, but her Blacks A Fake win last night was the first by a mare in an Aussie Grand Circuit event since Baby Bling in the 2013 Miracle Mile. “She a really gutsy mare, you don’t win a million dollars like her without being a champion,” Purdon said. “The big thanks go to Marc Hanover and Gordon Banks, who bought the mare, syndicated her and trusted me to train her over here. They’ve been great supporters since I first moved to Australia.” Just as she did in The Rising Sun, Amazing Dream effectively won the Blacks A Fake when – to the shock of almost everyone – Orange was able to buzz out quickly enough to get across raging hot favourite and defending champion King Of Swing. Orange then took the sit on Copy That and waited for the sprint lane, which served her so well in The Rising Sun. In almost a replica finish, she sprinted through the inside and just did enough to hold-off the outside horses, this time headed by Rockin Marty and King Of Swing. Copy That fought on well for fourth after burning to lead and then being softened-up by Expensive Ego through a 27.9sec opening quarter of the last mile. It was an unexpected first Aussie Group 1 win for Orange. “Obviously she wasn’t the horse I came here to drive, but it’s great to win a big one in different territory, especially for a great mate in Nathan (Purdon),” he said. Amazing Dream will return to Purdon’s Lara stables in Victoria before connections decide her immediate racing future. “Eventually the plan is for her to go to the US, but there are some nice mares’ races for her in Melbourne. We’ll get her back home and then I’ll talk with Marc (Hanover) and Gordon (Banks),” Purdon said. “There is the Inter Dominion at the end of the year, too. She’s such a tough mare, she’d be suited to a series like that if she stayed.” King Of Swing did a big job to finish third after being crossed at the start, then being checked and galloping and losing about 20m. “He didn’t get out as quickly as I expected … he did a mighty job to get so close considering,” driver Luke McCarthy said. “Thankfully, he’s come through it well and without injury.” Copy That returns home for a break and to prepare for the NZ Cup, but won’t return to Australia for the NSW Inter Dominion.

Thanks Gamma. Captain Crusader offered good value that's why I backed it in his past three starts at Albion Park. I backed him for a place and the lowest price was $3.20, I got $4.80 on Saturday night! He was drawn badly but he's such a consistent horse I didn't think that would stop him being in the money. Thank you very much!! He doesn't go a bad race and would be a great horse to own as he gets stake money regularly. He seems a good staying horse to me and It will be interesting to see if he gets stronger next season?

I didn't see the race and just got home and look up results. Amazing. I backed her because her price was crazy here and even longer in Australia. I can't understand how she paid so much but I'll take it, thank you very much. I have been following Captain Crusader and got another good price on him $4.80 place here. What do you know about Captain Crusader Gamma?

Thanks mate, I don't understand most of this, but never mind. I guess I am probably too lazy to bother with clicking on the rating next to each horse, but thanks for this as I didn't know about that. I think the horses need to drop back quicker than they do now. There is the farcical situation now that a horse that wins a few then reaches its mark (M House has many of these), then has to have about 10 starts running out of the money before it is downgraded enough to be competitive. This is a lose/lose for the horses, trainers and most importantly, owners> There definitely needs to be a lower rating, perhaps race at Addington once a week, lower stakes, easy grades, open to any horse penalty free or at least reduced penalty. Maybe restrict the feilds to 10 runners, mobiles 1980m. You would get good even fields and plenty of value bets (attention Brodie!!!!!). If horses like in this grade could race each week it would be better for the trainers and owners, horses don't need working as much and regular cheques coming? Just a thought!

No gallops for me mate! 😁 Another thing I would like to see is whether a horse is dropping down in grade. The present grading system is a shambles and difficult to understand as the HRNZ was told it would be. It is not the TABs fault but I would like to see something like that added to the horse data. A horse runs in R55 one week next it good be in a R45. It is hard to understand the system, at least for me. It makes it harder to find value runners when the grading system is so confusing.

When did this happen? Last century?

LOL! Even the Brodster, the master at finding value bets, would not find any value in a M. Perriton trained runner. Her horses are weak and reached their marks long ago. I think she needs to find new stock and another bred?

There are a lot of unanswered questions in the Dunn case. Much of it doesn't add up. How could they mix up a horse for starters? It's a strange one. I guess we will need know?

Yes, I understand what you are saying mate. But! I am quite concerned about this case because Ms Wigg has only been training for a few months. If the allegations are true and an illegal substance was administered to the horses what does that say. She has only been training for a few months and already she is cheating? Where did she learn these techniques? Perhaps everyone in harness racing knows about the illegal substances and how to administer them? Did she know about it because the stable has always used them? It is a worry because harness racing is struggling in the North Island and this could be the final nail in the coffin. Let's hope that there is a innocent explanation for her actions. If she is found guilty I worry about the future of North Island harness. Worrying times mate!

I doubt she will travel to the North Island, Sarah is needed at Kentuckiana Lodge while Cran Dalgety is in Australia with Krug. In a recent interview I saw she said that Cran had left her in charge!

Congratulations Sarah O'Reilly on taking out the 2021 New Zealand Junior Driver Championship. She clinched the series with a masterful display at Addington this afternoon. There were three heats of the championship and she won two and was third in the other. What an accomplished young driver she is. She never seems to panic, looks composed and in control in the cart. John Morrison was runner-up and Zev Meredith third, a good result for the young North Island driver who doesn't get many opportunities. I put some money on her to win as the odds on offer $9 too good to turn down. Well done Sarah.

I believe Trio was also originally trained by Trevor Thomas?

I think K. Vincent also trained Stormy Morn but that was at the end of the horses' career when he was well past his best.

MCMILLAN EQUINE FEEDS NZ JUNIOR DRIVERS (HEAT 3) TROT $9000, 4YO & OLDER, UP TO R50 WITH COND. INV JD, 2600m Here is the race header from the HRNZ site, looks a standing start trot to me. I just went to TAB and i see what you mean. I think it is probably a mistake by the TAB mate.