Club News 11 December

Addington Raceway and Events Centre

Hello Everyone,

Last two racing meetings for the year – Friday 13 & 20 December

This Friday the first race is at 5.30pm and next Friday has a start time of 11.30am.

Be sure to get on track to enjoy a great couple of days of racing!

Spectators is open for some great burgers & pizzas, as well as some quick treats from the IRT Stables BBQ! 

To book a table with all the Christmas trimmings, please 03 338 9094 or email [email protected] to check availability.   Limited spots left.

Thank you everyone for a fabulous year!

We wish to thank you all for your support in 2019.  It is extremely appreciated.  We have loved hosting you all on course!  Bring on 2020!

Merry Christmas

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season.  Good luck with all your racing over the New Year period.

Back on Track Buffet $35 pp Special Offer – January

We look forward welcoming you back on Friday 24 & 31 January for some excellent racing.

To kick start the year, we are offering a back on track buffet special offer!  Only $35 per person!!  Bookings are essential.  To book please call 03 338 9094 or email [email protected]

Take care, travel safe and we look forward to seeing you in January.

From all the Addington team

INNOVATIVE RACE MEETING AT WINTON 

The Winton Harness Racing Club are trialling a great new innovation at their meeting at Central Southland Raceway in Winton this Sunday 15 December.

To promote exciting racing every race will be subject to a maximum field of just ten horses. The concept is being tried to give a tighter class of racing and with smaller fields every horse in each race will have a better chance in the running. The ten horse limit should provide a good show for spectators with good quality racing. Ten races are scheduled for the day with the feature race being the AON Insurance Equine Stakes.

With the Christmas season upon us the club is treating the children on course to free mini jeep rides while Santa will also pay a visit with some treats for the kids.

Kidz Kartz will be on course to race and there will also have a Whitebait stand which is a fundraiser for Kidz Kartz, the whitebait having been donated by Gerald Cayford.

The first race is scheduled from 12.17pm and admission to the course is free.

Tent sites are still available for this meeting and at the Wairio Trotting Club’s meeting at Winton the following weekend on Saturday 21 December.

Lindsay Beer
Promotions Officer
Southern Harness Racing

03 217 4288
021 351 499

SOUTHERN HARNESS RACING CHRISTMAS FUNCTIONS

Christmas is on the way!

And so are our pre-Christmas race meetings.

December is a fantastic month for racing with pre-Christmas events at Winton – Winton Harness Racing Club (Sunday 15 December) and Wairio Trotting Club (Saturday 21 December).

There are tent sites available at all three meetings for your Christmas function or get together.

Contact us today for full details and conditions.

Lindsay Beer - 021 351 499 / [email protected]

Women changing the look of Rangiora Harness Racing Club 

By SHELLEY TOPP

The Rangiora Harness Racing Club’s administration team has three new women members. 

Denise Carlson and Melissa Higgins have both joined the committee and Miranda Donnell is the club’s new secretary and administrator. The women will seek to attract more people to the club’s meetings, particularly women, promote harness racing and  and help lift the club’s social media profile.

Two of the women, Denise and Melissa  already had a connection with the club before joining the committee as their husbands are also committee members. Miranda, who lives near the Rangiora racecourse, wanted to be part of something in the local community. 

"When I met with some of the committee members I could see how passionate they were about the club and I thought it would be nice to be part of that,’’ she said. "Rangiora harness racedays bring back fond memories of when we used to go when the kids were young.  They loved it.  We did too.''

Melissa has a family connection with harness racing. "My parents have owned horses since I was born and my Dad trained his first winner late last year,’’ she said.  "I have been involved with in harness racing all my life. I love the people you meet following your horses to different places to race.''

Denise is also a regular on raceday, supporting her husband Ray, who is the club’s vice-president.

"Joining the committee seemed like a natural step,’’ she said."The raceway is in a beautiful location, the vista is amazing. I haven't met anyone yet who hasn't enjoyed coming to the races at Rangiora. There is nothing quite like going to a country harness race meeting. I've been to quite a few around New Zealand and I haven't come across a better country course (than Rangiora) yet.''

Denise and Melissa have replaced Maria Perriton, the former sole woman committee member, who resigned this year after 13 years’ service. Club president, Greg Wright said only four other women had been committee members in the club’s 69-year history.

"However, racing, like most other institutions, has evolved over the last decade to accept and expect women committee members,’’ he said. "I hope our current, more diverse, committee will be able to develop a better presentation of racing and our club's meetings in particular to appeal to a wider audience.’’ 

Kapiti Coast Harness Racing Club
We are thrilled to confirm that we have been granted a one day racing licence to race on the Otaki Maori Race Course, Otaki on Sunday 2nd February 2020. Grass track racing at it's very best.

The tentative Programme is already posted on the HRNZ Website. It is planned to host 9 races on the day, with minimum stakes of $10,000 per race (The highest stakes of any grass track meeting in the North Island.) Features will be the Otaki Trotting Cup for the pacers run over 3000 metres from the stand with a stake of $12,000 and the Wellington Trotting Cup for the trotters run from a stand over 3000 metres with a stake of $12,000.

The Friday prior to our KCHRC Otaki race meeting (being Friday 31st January 2020) will see Manawatu Harness race at Manawatu Raceway. Therefore horses who wish to travel from the South Island or upper North Island to race 2 days could nominate for both meetings. Grass track horses could race at Rotorua on Sunday 26th January, then a week later race at Otaki on the grass.

Sunday 2nd February will be an Interislander Summer Festival of Racing Race day at Otaki. The Committee is working tirelessly to make this day a major success. Hosting Kidz Kartz from Taranaki, free children's entertainment, an All Up Place competition with a prize of $500.

Recently Kapiti Coast Harness Racing Club held it's AGM. After 20+ years at the helm President Mary Colman retired to take the role of immediate Past President, and was honoured with a Life Membership of the Kapiti Coast Harness Racing Club.

The new Club President is Chris Craddock who had served as Vice President for the proceeding 10+ years. (With harness family roots originating in ‘the Buller’, Westport.) Kapiti Coast Harness has a new expanded Committee and is really looking forward to hosting an outstanding day on the Otaki Maori grass track Race Course on Sunday 2nd February 2020.

Cheviot Harness Racing Club – Stallion Tenders
The Cheviot Harness Racing Club has one stallion tender on offer.

PEGASUS SPUR – sire of Speeding Spur
Sire of Speeding Spur
Sire of Paramount Gee Gee
2019/20 Service Fee RRP – $3,000+GST.
Please send all tenders to [email protected]