News Briefs - May 27

A date for the HRNZ awards, an update on the HRNZ website and the latest on the world's fastest pacing mare all feature in this week's News Briefs.

Save the date for awards

A date has been set for next year's Harness Racing New Zealand awards. They will be held in Christchurch on Saturday, March 13 to celebrate and honour the best of 2026. More details will be released soon but in the meantime all you have to do is Save The Date!

Website update : HRNZ

After our previous update on May 6 regarding intermittent issues affecting the HRNZ website, our team continues to make improvements in the background. We understand the frustration recent issues have caused and we appreciate your patience. For anyone continuing to experience problems, please email : website@hrnz.co.nz and be as specific as possible about the issue encountered. This feedback helps us identify and resolve issues more effectively.

Key stable changes

Two of the more interesting recent stable changes involve former buzz two-year-old Ukraine and enigmatic trotter Pantani. Ukraine has moved from Bob Butt to Warren Stapleton at Rakaia. He made history on debut by being the first two-year-old winner in New Zealand for 2024, the first Australasian winner for his sire Captain Crunch, and the first winner under Harness Racing New Zealand’s two-year-old bonus scheme. He then missed his three-year-old season after being sidelined with a leg injury. Five-race winner Pantani meanwhile has gone from Nathan Purdon to Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett's barn at Waiuku . Pantani started out with co-breeder Ross Paynter before he relocated  to Sweden two years ago.

Harness 5000 numbers climb

The number of horses who are eligible for the second ever Phoebe Stud Harness 5000 at Ashburton now stands at 129. The 12 $60,000 finals will be held on December 6. The series is for horses whose stallion's stud fees were $5000 or under during the year of breeding. During the qualifying period (January 1 - November 22,2026) 3YOs must start in at least 10 races to be eligible for the Finals, while 4YO or 5YO and older pacers and trotters must start in at least 12 races. Of the 12 categories the 5YO and older Pacing Entires and Geldings category has the most eligible horses so far, with 43. Of the eligible horses the one horse who has started more than any other is Buffy Northstains with 25 starts so far in 2026, including a second at Timaru last Sunday.

Double for DD

Dexter Dunn's gone two from two in the New Jersey Sires Stakes Platinum Division championships for three-year-old pacers at the Meadowlands.   He drove Be Perfect BG to her eighth win in as many starts in 1:52.2 and then reined Bookie J to  win the Colts and Geldings race in 1:50.4. Dunn, a five-time USA Driver of the Year, has had 36 wins in North America so far this year with Jason Bartlett, last year's champion driver, again at the top with 260 wins and $4.2m in stakes.

Southerner keeps winning

Former southerner Louies Girl N has been in brilliant form in North America. At the weekend she won her sixth race this year and now has 13 wins in her last 15 races. She took out the $100,000 Betsy Ross Mares Invitational Pace in Philadelphia in a very quick 1:48.8. The daughter of Lord Forbes won seven from 24 in this country before heading to the USA in 2025.

Shartin has second foal

How's this  for breeding? The Kiwi-bred sensation Shartin, the 2019 Horse of the Year in North America and the fastest pacing mare in history, has had a filly sired by Bulldog Hanover, the fastest standardbred of all time (1:45.8). Shartin had 46 wins from 68 starts and a lifetime best of 1:46.8 while Bulldog Hanover won 28 of his 37 starts. Kountry Shelia is Shartin's second foal, the first a Captaintreacherous filly sold for $140,000 as a yearling.

15 straight for Beau Jangles

Reigning North American Horse of the Year Beau Jangles has pushed his career unbeaten streak to 15 after winning most recently at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Canada. He won the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series on a cold and wet night in 1:50.6. After going 12 from 12 as a two-year-old he has three more as a 3YO in 2026. He was a $65,000 yearling in 2024 with stakes earnings so far of over $1.8m.

Race record in WA  

Kiwi-bred pacer Miss Leopatra was in race record-breaking form when she won the $50,000 Westral Diamond Classic for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park in Western Australia last Friday night. Her time of 1:55.1 smashed the race record rate of 1:56.5 She has now had five wins in 12 starts. Bred by Kelvin Home Holdings, Leopatra (Bettor's Delight - Reklaw's Gem) didn't race in this country before heading across the Tasman in 2024.

Gun trotter goes 3 from 3

The deeds of Imperious Girl have got a few people talking. She not only won her third win from as many starts at Winton on Sunday but she did it in 1:56.8, a new three-year-old fillies track record and a new open mares track record as well. The Craig Ferguson-trained and driven daughter of Imperial Count won the Diamond Creek - SBSR Silk Road Series Trot by over three lengths, again showing she is a trotter of enormous potential.