News Briefs - July 17

Changes for quality pacers

It's been a week of change for two of the country's better pacers, with Old Town Road and Don't Stop Dreaming both moving stables. Old Town Road has moved south from part owner John Dickie's stables in Clevedon to Bob Butt at Woodend beach, while Don't Stop Dreaming has moved from Mark and Nathan Purdon's barn at Rolleston to Hayden Cullen at West Melton. Cullen picked up another top performer in We Walk By Faith from the Purdons earlier in the month. Don't Stop Dreaming is a $4 second favourite for the IRT New Zealand Cup at Addington on Tuesday, November 12 while Old Town Road is at $14.

Big third for former Kiwi

Running third in any race isn't usually newsworthy but former Kiwi Simply Sam just happened to finish behind a couple of good ones in Saturday night's pacing feature at Albion Park. In a performance that got rave reviews on both sides of the Tasman, superstar pacer Leap To Fame won the Mr Feelgood Open Pace in a track record, beating older sibling and reigning IRT New Zealand Cup champion Swayzee in the process. Simply Sam did well to be next best, rushing home into third. The five-year-old, who won seven races for Ray Green, left for Australia in March this year. Post race Leap To Fame's connections have confirmed they fully intend to make the trip to Christchurch for the country's biggest race, with Swayzee likely to be there too. Leap To Fame is a $2 favourite for the NZ Cup, with Swayzee at $8.

Katie Cox Memorial on July 31

Katie Cox's special horse Spy Da Moment has been retired. The 11-year-old Monarchy gelding was third at Addington on July 5, just days after Cox lost her battle with lung cancer. At the time it was suggested that the race would be his last. Cox broke in the horse and then trained and drove him to six wins, and more than $90,000 in stakes. A celebration of Cox's life will be held at the Silks Lounge, Level 2 Addington Raceway at 2.30pm on Wednesday, July 31.

Dalgety makes USA "debut"

Carter Dalgety has made a winning North American "debut" at Harrah's Philadelphia. He had five drives at the qualifiers (trials), and even won one, with the Brett Pelling-trained Asphalt. They prevailed by a neck, with a winning mile rate of 1:57.2. The country's top junior driver is in the USA on a working holiday after winning a Valachi Downs Young Achievers Scholarship. He will be in North America for six weeks, staying mainly with his friend and one time mentor, 10-time NZ champion driver Dexter Dunn. Dunn is currently the sixth highest earning driver in North America this year with 115 wins and $3.6m in stakes.

Milestone for trotter

Grand Kiwi-bred mare Our Spitfire has gone past $100,000 in career earning after registering her first win in 2024. Racing at Port Pirie in South Australia, the eight-year-old led all the way to register her 11th win for trainer Peta Brown since joining the stable in November 2021. Bred and owned by Frank Weaver in Takanini, Our Spitfire won three races in this country while trained by Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett before heading across the Tasman in 2020. She has now won 17 races overall from 145 starts. The daughter of Majestic Son is expected to race for anther year before going to the breeding barn. "Snow" Weaver has a fine record with the trotters, with his best performers being Petite Evander and dual Inter Dominion winner Pride Of Petite.

NZ Horse Ambulance fund-raiser

Alexandra Park and Cambridge Raceway will be raising funds for the New Zealand Horse Ambulance Trust in August - but they need your help. Both raceways will be offering race sponsorship packages at greatly reduced prices, with all proceeds going to the Trust. The cost to sponsor a race will be just $350 plus GST, down from the usual $750 plus GST. The four northern meetings during the month will be August 2,6,9 and 13 with 34 races in total, meaning potentially over $10,000 could be raised. The deadline to register interest in the race sponsorship package is Monday, July 22.

What a team!

In what must be a rarity the combined ages of the winning trainer and horse at a recent race in country Victoria was 104. A 14-year-old gelding Irishmurphy won at the Hamilton meeting for 90-year-old trainer Jim Barker. Irishmurphy led from start to finish on his home track paying $14 for the win with Barker's granddaughter Jackie doing the driving. It was Irishmurphy's 11th win from 169 starts. He will keep racing until he turns 15 before he is forced into retirement. Barker senior has no such plans, he has a team of around 20 horses and has been training professionally for more than five decades thanks to the help of his extended family.

Yearling Sales entries

Entries for the next NZB National Standardbred Yearling Sales close at 5pm, Friday August 2. The sales will be held at Karaka (Auckland) on Sunday, February 16 and at the Canterbury Agricultural Park in Christchurch on Tuesday, February 18. There'll also be a Parade day in Auckland on Sunday February 15, and an Inspection day in Christchurch on Monday, February 17. For more information contact [email protected] or [email protected].

Club News : Addington

The annual Addington Winter Style Stakes will be held on Friday, August 9. Budding fashionistas are encouraged to dress in their winter finest (wool or tweed for example) to take in the racing action, and other entertainment, from the Terror To Love Lounge. Food platters will be served to every table. Tickets are $70. For more information go to addington.co.nz

Club News : Southern Harness

Bookings are going well for several of the big pre-Christmas meetings in the Southern Harness racing region later this year. The Invercargill Harness Racing Club host two great dates for Christmas functions this year with twilight race meetings on both Friday 22 November and also the Group 1 Invercargill Cup meeting on Friday 20 December from 4.00pm. Already bookings are coming in for hospitality spaces and marquees on that date.

Other dates that work for pre-Christmas get togethers include Sunday meetings at Wyndham (10 November) and Winton (17 November) and twilight meetings at Oamaru on the grass track on Wednesday 11 December and Winton on Thursday 12 December. Anyone wishing to book hospitality or marquees can contact Southern Harness Racing’s Promotions Officer, Lindsay Beer at 021 351 4999 or [email protected]