News Briefs : January 1

[Wandering Eyes]

It’s straight back into action for our best drivers and trainers, Dexter Dunn completes an amazing year and Next Gen heads south in the first News Briefs for 2025.  

No rest for premiership winners 

Just hours after clinching their latest drivers and trainers’ premierships, Blair Orange and Robert and Jenna Dunn will be back in action today as the 2025 season gets underway at Rangiora, starting at 1.10pm.  The season wrapped up after last night’s big Auckland Cup meeting at Alexandra Park with Orange finishing with 196 wins, and surpassing $3.5m in stakes earnings for the first time. Orange finished 59 wins clear of nearest challenger John Dunn (137) with Sam Ottley third (108) after becoming the first woman to get 100 wins in a 12 month season. It was Orange’s eighth premiership win in a row while the Diamond Racing combo also went back to back with 137 wins in 2024. Steve and Amanda Telfer were next on 116, with Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan third with 77 but the most stakes earnings at $3.29m. Their stable star Merlin, who finished second behind Republican Party in last night’s $250,000 Trillian Trust Auckland Cup, was the top earning horse in this country for the year. He amassed $796,125 with seven wins from 13 starts. Aussies Just Believe ($690k) and dual New Zealand Cup winner Swayzee ($540k) were next.

To see today’s fields at Rangiora click here 

DD no 1 in USA 

Dexter Dunn can also look back at a personal best 2024. The ex-pat Kiwi champion, who has just won his fifth USA Driver of the Year title in six years, had 304 wins in the year with total stakes of $16.64m. It was his most successful year yet. He was the leading stakes earner in North America by a long stretch with Yannick Gingras second on $14.5m and Jason Bartlett on $12.6m. Dunn had 304 wins, with the winningest driver being Aaron Merriman with 871. His  stakes earnings were $8.6m. Dunn will soon be heading to Australia for the Ultimate Driver Championships at Albion Park in Brisbane in February alongside the likes of Gingras and newly crowned NZ Junior Driver premiership winner and Trillian Trust Auckland Cup winner Carter Dalgety.

The end for Freehold 

Freehold Raceway, the oldest race track in the USA, has held its last meeting. Situated in New Jersey, Freehold has been in existence for 170 years. But with land values increasing and dwindling crowds the decision was made earlier this year for it to close. Its last meeting was held on December 28. One racegoer described driving to the last meeting as “like going to a funeral”. 

Girl power at the Mot 

There was a nice mother-daughter double at Motukarara Racecourse on Sunday. In Race 3 Sam Ottley continued her amazing run of success of late by winning with Justa Terra, trained by her mother Denise at West Melton. And two races earlier Rolleston trainer Bernard Lomas lined up two trotters, The Gardeners Pride and her daughter Senior Constable Liz in the same race. The Gardener’s Pride is now 10 and has had nine placings from 36 starts while Senior Constable Liz is just a two-year-old filly with three lifetime starts. Mum was fourth, her daughter 10th.

Next Gen heads south

Information on HRNZ’s Next Gen ownership initiative will be available at Omakau tomorrow (January 2) and at Cromwell (January 6). A booth manned by HRNZ staff will be on course for both race days. Racegoers will also get the opportunity to enter a draw to win a share in a racehorse. For more information on Next Gen click here 

Tickets for HRNZ awards 

Tickets for next month’s HRNZ annual awards at Addington Raceway will go on sale from next Monday, January 6. Tickets costing $130 each include a food and beverage package. The awards will he held on Saturday, February 8, with doors opening at 5.15pm and the awards getting underway at 6pm. For all enquiries contact courtney@hrnz.co.nz

 

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