News Briefs : August 6

The latest on the Harness 5000, Hambletonian-winning sire available in Southland and changes to training partnerships all feature in this week's News Briefs.  

Harness 5000 growing all the time

The number of horses becoming eligible for the new Harness 5000 at Ashburton in December is growing by the day. Veteran trotter Take After Me was the first to be eligible last week. Now there are seven horses, with many more on the verge of joining them. Altogether there are more than 300 horses who have begun the path to qualification. Harness 5000 will host a total of 12 $60,000 finals for trotters and pacers whose sire stood for an advertised retail service fee of $5,000 or less in the breeding season of conception. The finals will be for 3YO, 4YO and 5YO and older Fillies and Mares and Colts, Geldings and Entires, for both gaits. This year the qualifying period is from July 3 to December 9, 2025 and to be eligible horses must compete in at least five race day starts within this period.

The seven horses to be eligible so far are :

5YO and older Trotting Colts and Geldings
President Flynntin
Take After Me

5YO and older Pacing Colts and Geldings
Mouton Cadet
Gliding High  

5YO and older Trotting Mares
Eagle Hanover  

4YO Trotting Mares
Baffled  

5YO and older Pacing Mares
Ivona Dadic 

The Harness 5000 leaderboard can be viewed here 

Svanstedt wins 100th Hambletonian

Top trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt won his third $1 million Hambletonian Stakes over the weekend, capturing the 100th edition of America’s Trotting Classic for 3-year-olds with Nordic Catcher S in a stakes-record 1:50 at The Meadowlands. Super Chapter finished second, one length behind the winner, followed by 3-2 favorite Maryland, driven by Kiwi champion Dexter Dunn. The previous stakes record of 1:50.1 was set by colt Muscle Hill in 2009 and equalled by filly Ramona Hill in 2020. Svanstedt won the Hambletonian previously with Perfect Spirit in 2017 and Captain Corey in 2021. He trained and drove both those horses as well. He became the sixth trainer in history to also drive at least three winners.

Dex on a roll

As well as his third in the 100th Hambletonian, Dexter Dunn had five wins on the day at The Big M to take him to 124 for the year. His earnings in 2025 are now nearing $US5m. He's at $4.9m, fourth overall behind Jason Bartlett ($8.1m), Daniel Noble ($5.8m) and Yannick Gingras ($5.7m). Aaron Merriman has the most individual winners at 546.

Hambletonian-winning sire is Harness 5000 eligible  

Hambletonian winner Nordic Catcher S is a son of trotting stallion Six Pack. Six Pack was a three-time world record holder and nearly $2m earner and 3YO Dan Patch Trotting Colt of the Year in North America in 2018. In this country he stands at Macca Lodge in Southland, and with a stallion fee now of $5000 he is Harness 5000 eligible. Six Pack's progeny have won one race in this country with two-year-old gelding Brewster Baker (Six Pack - San Diego Love) winning at Addington in April.

Steve Telfer hits 800

Steve Telfer just keeps kicking goals in 2025. His training partnership with sister Amanda is going great guns. They have 107 wins this year to be 27 clear at the top of the table from Michael House (80). Telfer himself has also brought his 800th training success. It came with Cyamate's win at Cambridge on July 31. Now he has 803 in total - 454  in partnership with Amanda, 190 with Chris Garlick, 28 with Hayden Cullen (and Amanda) and 131 on his own.

Changes to training partnerships 

The start of the 2025/26 season has seen some new training partnerships. After training nine winners on his own account, Mid Canterbury trainer Chris Morrison is joining forces with wife Shirley. Chris Morrison is well known in harness circles through the Morrison Saddlery and Feed business he had at Ashburton Raceway for 35 years. There are two new father-son partnerships with Carl Markham, who works at Stonewall Stud's Canterbury base at Weedons, and Jeremy Markham teaming up and Dave and Scott Iremonger.  Scott, a blacksmith by trade, has yet to train a winner while Dave has had 47 winners dating back to the early 1990s. Three other partnerships have also changed with James (and Jim) Geddes, Mark (and Debbie) Shirley and Justin (and Lynn) Smith all now training on their own, rather than in partnership.