News Briefs : November 11

The TAB's guaranteed Quaddies and First 4s for Cup week, Blair Orange's winning run at Kaikoura and details of the Box Seat's upcoming shows all feature in this week's News Briefs.

$100,000 quaddie on Cup day 

A $100,000 guaranteed late quaddie has been confirmed for IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington next Tuesday. It will be on the last four races. There will also be $20,000 guaranteed First 4s on every race. On Show Day, Friday November 15, the late Quaddie will be guaranteed at $50,000, with $10,000 guaranteed First 4s on every race. To find out more go to wwww.tab.co.nz

The Box Seat gears up for Cup week  

With racing's biggest week fast approaching, The Box Seat will have two big shows in the next few days. The first will be at 8.30pm tonight (Wednesday) following today's barrier draw at Addington Raceway and the second will be Monday November 5 at 1pm. Included in the latter show will be the announcement of the barrier draws for the two new $500,000 slot races, the Hill Lee and Scott THE VELOCITY and the Majestic Horse Floats LP THE ASCENT.

Orange continues winning streak at Kaikoura  

Blair Orange is the King of Kaikoura. The country's leading driver and six-time premiership winner had a great couple of days, with one win on Sunday and than a race-to-race treble on Monday with Delightful Dreams and then Mystic Max in the White Morph South Bay Trotters Cup and Wish Me Luck in the NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales Series Aged Classic Handicap Pace.  That gave him 35 wins overall at the South Bay race course, overtaking Colin DeFilippi who's on 34. Maurice Holmes is third on 23, with John Dunn on 21 and Mark Purdon 19. 

Good money on offer at Manawatu  

The first of Manawatu's four November meetings was held on Monday, with a two-day twilight meeting later in the month offering some serious stake money. The club will hold 18 meetings through to May next year with a minimum stakes of $10,000 per race. But on Tuesday November 19 the Wairarapa Cup will be worth $20,000, and be part of the Country Cups, while there will also be a $15,000 feature pace two days later.

Christopher Dance keeps winning in WA

The trip from the Waikato to Perth was well worth the effort for part-owner Chris Webber when Christopher Dance took out the $200,000 Western Australian Derby at Gloucester Park over the weekend. He bought the Sweet Lou colt for $8000 at Karaka in 2021.  He won two races here before being sold. Webber retained a small ownership in the horse who has now won three in a row in Perth for Greg and Skye Bond and around $200,000 in stakes. He was on course as Christopher Dance took out the Derby in 1:56, a new race record, with Bond runners filling the top five placings.

Dunn on a roll  

Dexter Dunn has opened up a more than $1.5m lead as the highest stakes earner in North America. The ex-pat Kiwi star has won 286 races and $15.127m in 2024. That puts him $1.7m above the next highest earner in Yannick Gingras at $13.4m.  Dunn is already a four-time Driver of the Year in North America and is set to win it again this year. He also part owns Twin B Joe Fresh who has won 10 from 12 starts this year and is ranked the number one horse in the USA this year.

Sherlock heads stateside

After a last start sixth at Addington in the Avon City Ford New Brighton Cup, Sherlock has been sold and will do his future racing in the United States. The Vincent four-year-old won eight from 17 in this country for trainers Mark and Nathan Purdon. Before his sixth behind Dalton Shard at Addington he last raced in this country in March 2023 when he finished 10th in the Woodlands Stud Northern Derby at Alexandra Park won by Merlin.    

Breeders/HRNZ roadshow heads south

The second of a Breeders/HRNZ seminars will be held in Southland tonight. Breeders and all industry participants are invited to come and listen to HRNZ Chief Executive Brad Steele's long term strategy for growth and sustainability under The Future Starts Now. The event will be at Makarewa Country Club Cnr Pomona Road and State Highway 6, Makarewa from 7pm. Events will be held at Pukekohe and Cambridge later in the month, with dates to follow. The first of the seminars attracted around 60 people to Addington last week.

News Briefs : Wyndham 

The Wyndham Harness Racing Club host a ten-race programme with a family day atmosphere at Young Quinn Raceway in Wyndham this Sunday, 10 November. The first race of the day is scheduled for 12.10pm with the last at 4.48pm. The Franks Motorcycles and Spares Gold Chip Final Handicap Trot is the feature race of the day at 2.37pm. Children’s entertainment is free with mini jeeps, a bouncy castle plus a lolly scramble and sack races while for all ages there will be the popular Heads and Tails game with a chance to win a good prize – it couldn’t be easier. Kidz Kartz will also race on the programme during the day. Admission is free.  Lindsay Beer, Promotions Officer, Southern Harness Racing, 021 351 499