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Lightning Baby strikes at Cambridge

by Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Lightning Baby struck through for her maiden win at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night when taking out the Hidden Lake Hotel & Apartments Mobile (2200m). The daughter of Bettor’s Delight was given the perfect trip throughout, given a soft passage behind race favourite The Beaudster. She scooted up the passing lane and despite racing fractiously in the closing stages, she was able to score a neck victory over The Beaudster, with a further 1-1/4lengths bac...

Drastic changes afoot at Cambridge Raceway

A Waipā institution for over 100 years, Cambridge Raceway will undergoing its most drastic redevelopment yet over the next three years. “We have some really exciting plans underway to enrich Cambridge Raceway’s presence within our community,” Cambridge Raceway CEO Dave Branch said. “We want to become a leading harness racing complex and also a first-choice events, business and community hub in the Waikato region.” Those plans include upgraded rentable event and office spaces, accomm...

Del Shannon delivers big thrill

Ron Otto might be 94, but he can still pick a winner. And when Del Shannon finally scored for his long suffering owners at Cambridge on Thursday night, Otto was with them, celebrating in the winner’s circle. Otto was promised a night at the trots by his helpers at the Oakdale rest home in Cambridge if he got himself mobile again. And when he managed the walk down to the dining room by himself, the outing was on. “The two girls who got me walking took me to the trots and we had a great night,...

Merlin puts on a magical show at Cambridge

The Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan team are experiencing a golden run of late and are looming as a force to be reckoned with when they head south with half a dozen runners in the coming weeks. Five members of their barn sealed their tickets south at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night, led by Merlin, who is proving to be one of the most exciting juveniles in the country. The Art Major colt had won all his previous six outings at Alexandra Park, so his trainers were looking forward to testing him ...

Marshall gearing up for southern raid

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk This spring is gearing up to be an exciting one for Kyle Marshall. The Cambridge horseman is gearing up for his first campaign down south and will give his key raider Son Of Mac one final hit-out at his home track on Thursday night.Features races in the crosshairs for the colt include the Listed NZB Standardbred Harness Million C&G (1980m) at Addington Raceway on October 14 and the Gr.1 Sires’ Stakes 2YO C&G Final (1980m) at the Christchurch track on Cup Day....

500 winners for Nicky Chilcott

Check out the list of winners trained by Nicky Chilcott at White Star Stables at Cambridge Raceway and you won’t find many headlining Group One horses.But what you will discover is a host of cast-offs and average animals who, with countless hours of hard work, have enriched the lives of so many Ma and Pa Kiwi owners.When Nicky notched her 500th training win tonight at Alexandra Park, driving Phoebe Majestic to an all-the-way win, she became the first solo woman to train 500 winners in New Zeal...

Sports hub unveiled

Planning for a 27ha super sports hub in Cambridge’s northern town belt can resume  – after a lack of resources and Covid stymied progress. The development takes in three parks – Memorial, Tom Voyle and McKinnon – Cambridge Raceway and part of Cambridge High School sports’ fields. Three sports clubs leasing land in Waipā’s town belt and Cambridge High School Hockey Club initiated the discussions about the area’s future three years ago when they made submissions to the council�...

Bright future tipped for Nicholas Cage

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Big things are being tipped for promising three-year-old Nicholas Cage this spring. The Cambridge pacer posted his third win from just five starts when victorious in the Grove Manitowoc Mobile Pace (1700m) at his local track on Thursday night. He won first-up at Alexandra Park last month and trainers Andrew and Lyn Neal had been over the moon with his work in the lead-up to Thursday. “The way he has been training he has just gone to another level,” Andrew N...

Hugo Maguire bound for Melbourne

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Promising juvenile Hugo Maguire will head to Victoria later this month to join expat Kiwi trainer Brent Lilley’s barn. A deal was struck before racing at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday, but the Sweet Lou colt sweetened the deal with victory in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Mobile Pace (2200m). While sad to see him leave his barn, trainer Kyle Marshall has retained a share in the colt who has lofty targets ahead of him. “He was sold before the race and I have kept a...

Flying Scotsman lands victory at Cambridge

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Enigmatic trotter Flying Scotsman brought his manners to Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night and proved to be too strong for his opposition in the 13 Alabar Stallions Supporting NZ Breeders Trot (2200m). The Superfast Stuart gelding has proven to be a headache for trainer Ross Paynter over the last few months, breaking in all but one of his six starts in that time. As a result, he was offered up to punters as an $18 winning hope by TAB bookmakers, and to the de...

Regally-bred trotter set to make debut

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Regally-bred colt Yogi Son has a lot to live up to and he will begin that task at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday. The Majestic Son juvenile will make his debut in the 2YO Mobile Trot (1700m) and trainer Kyle Marshall said he will use the non-tote race as an educational outing for the colt who has won both of his trials to date. “He is well liked by everyone around the place, he has got a big following,” Marshall said. “With it being a non-tote, it is going...

Funny Face crowned Dunstan Horse of the Year

For the second consecutive year trainers Graeme Rogerson and Dylan Ferguson have taken out the Dunstan Cambridge Raceway Horse of the Year title. Last year the Hamilton trainers won their first title courtesy of She Reigns, and stablemate Funny Face was able to hold onto a two-point margin buffer to take out the 2021/22 edition. The daughter of Peak joined the barn in August last year and immediately made an impact, winning fresh-up for the stable over 2200m at Cambridge Raceway in September. Sh...

Blanchards score Cambridge treble

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Peter and Vaughan Blanchard went home from Cambridge Raceway happy men on Thursday night after recording a treble on the 10-race card. The father-and-son training partnership kicked the night off in style when Matai Louis took out the Tote Burger Open For Race Meetings Mobile Pace (2200m) in the hands of junior reinswoman Monika Ranger. “He is a horse I have always had a lot of time for,” Vaughan Blanchard said. “He has developed into a lovely big horse a...

Fitting win in Revell Douglas Memorial Series Finale

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk It was a fitting conclusion to the Revell Douglas Memorial Series at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday, with the late trainer’s colours carried to victory by junior reinsman Zev Meredith behind Whooshka. The speed was on from the outset, with Alicia Harrison stoking up Pacing Hope to take an early lead, with Meredith also intent on pushing forward early, wrestling the lead off Harrison, and leaving race favourite Sharkine parked. Meredith was able to set the pace...

Wilmott scores first blood in amateur series

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Canterbury reinsman Blair Wilmott made the perfect start in the NZ Amateur Drivers Championship when taking out Heat 1 with Ticking Over at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night. Wilmott took his charge straight to the lead off the gate where he was able to dictate terms throughout and score a comfortable 1-1/4 length victory. “We have got a pretty big weekend ahead of us with the five heats and to get a leg up tonight was pretty nice,” Wilmott said. “He is...

Bellatrix casts a spell at Cambridge

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk It’s been a long road to get Bellatrix to the races, but Adrienne Matthews’ patience finally paid off when her mare scored her maiden win in the Buteline Mobile Trot (2200m) at Cambridge Raceway on Friday. The daughter of Muscle Mass had shown plenty of promise as a youngster but was involved in a mishap as a juvenile that led to a long rehabilitation period and Matthews at one point thought she would never make it to the races. “I thought she was going t...

Near perfect result for Hopes

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Trainers Greg and Nina Hope nearly went home with the perfect result at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night. Muscle Mountain started the night off well for the Woodend Beach stable when taking out the Gr.2 Group 1 Turf Bar Trotters Flying Mile (1609m) before A G’s White Socks went down by just a nose to Hot And Treacherous in the Gr.2 McMillan Equine Feeds Pacers Flying Mile (1609m). “We were only a nose away (from getting the perfect result), it was great,...

One final northern mountain for southern trotter

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Group One-winning trotter Muscle Mountain is set to have his final northern run at Cambridge Raceway this week before he heads for a spell in preparation for spring racing. The talented trotter has been in stellar form in the north, becoming a worthy adversary for the ever-dominant Sundees Son. Muscle Mountain got the better of his rival two starts back when winning over a mile at Alexandra Park, but Sundees Son equalled the northern ledger a week later when wi...

Harrison enjoying being back

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Alicia Harrison enjoyed being back doing what she loves at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday – driving winners. The local horsewoman was involved in a horrific car accident in January when she was on her way to the Karaka Million race meeting at Ellerslie, which left her bed-ridden for several weeks after suffering a broken sternum and ankle. “It was extremely scary,” Harrison said. “We were driving up to the Karaka Million and there was a guy in a ute on t...

Favourite Self Assured too good in The Race

By Michael Guerin Champion horseman Mark Purdon only had one complaint after favourite Self Assured won New Zealand’s first ever slot race at Cambridge on Thursday night. “He should have won by more,” laughed Purdon after the $900,000 The Race by Grins. It was tongue in cheek but also a nod to the physical dominance of Self Assured as he overcame the widest barrier and having to sit parked for the last lap to win harness racing’s new glamour race. Kept out of the early burn as first Alta...

New Zealand’s richest harness Race this Thursday

New Zealand’s richest harness race, The Race by Grins (2200m) takes place at Cambridge Raceway this Thursday night. Carrying a stake of $900,000 it is the richest harness New Zealand has seen. It’s also the first harness slot race in Australasia and the first major slot race in New Zealand. The innovative feature race has attracted the best of the best when it comes to equine talent, from both sides of the Tasman. Four of the nine horses in the event have travelled from Australia: the only m...

Hezashadowplaya’s victory a tonic for Teaz

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Hezashadowplaya put an end to what has been a pretty miserable last few weeks for trainers Jason and Megan Teaz when he won The Race 14th April, Tickets On Sale Now Mobile Pace (2200m) at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday. A virus went through their stable last month and to top things off Jason was also out of action for a period after contracting COVID-19. “Our whole team has been laid low with a virus for the last six or seven weeks,” Jason Teaz said. “We...

Paynter scores trotting trifecta

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Local trainer Ross Paynter’s colours were to the fore in the Check Out The CR Hire Equipment Trot (2200m) at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday, making up the first three. Tourminator, Ngauruhoe and Itaintnecessarilyso were making their debuts and made the perfect start in securing the trifecta. Tourminator began well for driver Andre Poutama to take an early lead before he handed up to Ngauruhoe down the back straight. The son of Andover Hall was left untroubled ...

Grins get around The Race

Grins, the Ready To Drink alcoholic beverage created by All Black legend Stephen Donald and current All Blacks Anton Lienert-Brown and Damian McKenzie, is the naming rights sponsor of The Race. The Race by Grins, at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday April 14, is the first harness racing slot race in Australasia and New Zealand’s richest standardbred race with a stake of $900,000. “We’ve signed up for three years and we’re going to be with Cambridge Raceway every step of the way,” Stephen D...

Contrasting fortunes for The Race contenders at Addington and Auckland

By Michael GuerinThe All Stars team for harness racing’s new slot race may not be finalised just yet.Because after wins and losses at Alexandra Park and Addington on Friday night their options for the $900,000 The Race at Cambridge on April 14 seem to be growing.Trainers Mark Purdon and Hayden Cullen already have the favourite Self Assured in the new race and he was stunning winning at Alexandra Park.The fact he could come from last over the 1700m of The Founders and win so easily suggested he...