Harness archive
- Al: Hey Kiwis, get your horses over here to Queensland to clean up in our extended season 19 May 2020
- Harness boss Peter Jensen stands down over health issues - ‘I can’t give it 100%’ 19 May 2020
- Revealed: Where the TAB staff cuts are being made - are senior leaders getting off lightly? 17 May 2020
- Check out where, when and how many times they’re racing in the 20-21 draft harness dates 15 May 2020
- Manawatu: How we can save harness racing in the CD - by a cheap marriage with the dogs 15 May 2020
- No Harness Jewels in sight and racing at only half the usual venues next season 15 May 2020
- Jay: Horsemen adamant we need revised handicapping system for the north 13 May 2020
- Handicapper: Ratings tweak will ensure fairer penalty for horses winning low stakes 12 May 2020
- Cambridge tops up stakes to $7500 for the rest of the season and retains incentives 12 May 2020
- Davey Mac, iconic deep south commentator, looks on the bright side of shock job loss 11 May 2020
- Al battling to discover why once reliable Sir Tiger’s turned into such a pussy cat 8 May 2020
- ATC makes the hard calls by cutting staff and its functions business to ‘preserve the club’ 6 May 2020
- Sweet, says Al, I’ll buy Joey who just needs another six months to build up his confidence 4 May 2020
- New South Wales takes knife to its operations, staff and stakes and Miracle Mile not exempt 3 May 2020
- Extra harness meeting added to calendar and RITA may approve more if there’s demand 1 May 2020
- Hormones settled, Sir Tiger’s back today but the cobwebs might need cleaning out 1 May 2020
- Auckland and Addington harness get $8500 minimums but elsewhere it’s down to $7000 30 April 2020
- Ray’s losing horses already and warns racing will be dead and buried if stakes drop too low 30 April 2020
- Unruly spot makes it tough but Make Way’s not out of it at Menangle on Saturday night 29 April 2020
- Vale Charlie Roberts, 96, a hard worker who leaves a terrific legacy of success 27 April 2020
- Hustler will be ready for new winter features - but, uh-oh, there’s an old monster lurking 24 April 2020
- Al happy to look after Joey - he won’t be bustled out to lead on Friday night 23 April 2020
- Auckland does the leg work to prove horse numbers warrant more racing at the Park 22 April 2020
- Tommy’s Kiwi owners in lockdown will be cheering loud enough to burst bubbles 22 April 2020
- Addington harness big winner in post lockdown dates, securing Fridays and Sundays 21 April 2020
- ATC keen to start again in June with penalty-free racing to stimulate field sizes 15 April 2020
- Harness racing set to use only four venues after we come out of coronavirus lockdown 10 April 2020
- Hustler’s OK! MRI shows only bruising and vets say he can go straight back into work 7 April 2020
- Joey’s fine out in six and should dispatch poor lot when he debuts in Brisbane on Thursday 7 April 2020
- Today’s X-rays inconclusive so now Hustler’s off for nuclear scintigraphy 1 April 2020
- Ambitious target date set for harness racing and remaining feature races axed 1 April 2020
- Atta boy, Joey, that’ll put a smile on the boss’s face back home where it’s all Covid gloom 31 March 2020
- Harness boss warns regional racing is on the way - but it’s too soon for all the details 31 March 2020
- Joey runs hot in latest trial but Al and Hayden need to be cool to pass latest COVID-19 test 28 March 2020
- Tracks closing as more stringent rules prevent trainers working horses in Covid lockdown 26 March 2020
- Here they are: The very strict rules for stables and training tracks to keep Covid-19 at bay 25 March 2020
- Racing thrown a lifeline as training centres and stables deemed essential services 25 March 2020
- Ray’s urgent plea: The industry will be stuffed if we can’t keep training our horses 24 March 2020
- Derby dream over, Ray scrambles to get himself and Copy That home before lockdown 23 March 2020
- All racing ceases as country goes into lockdown to stem spread of Covid-19 23 March 2020
- Merv’s an armchair viewer at heart so Covid-19 isn’t stopping him from enjoying Copy That 20 March 2020
- Positive signs for Hustler but more X-rays in two weeks to confirm no fractures 19 March 2020
- We’re the only game in town so don’t lie down over coronavirus, go after those betting dollars 18 March 2020
- Ray and his charges chilled for Addington pipe-openers on Friday night 18 March 2020
- Sorry team, drinks are off at the Park while coronavirus clampdown is in place 18 March 2020
- Merv reaches for favourite driver Blair Orange for Copy That’s New Zealand Derby campaign 13 March 2020
- Al’s working on Hustler’s niggles and says he’ll improve out of sight on Saturday night 12 March 2020
- Signs of improvement from Its Super Easy and Al says he’ll keep getting better 10 March 2020
- Stewards fine Rasmussen for pushing out after Copy That beaten in fiery Northern Derby 6 March 2020
- Hustler gets better draw but he’s still not 100% so don’t expect too much on Saturday night 6 March 2020
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Nathan’s comments
Thursday night at Manawatu
Race 4: Spiritual Bliss
6.25pm
“She won well on the first day but pulled very hard - Harry said his arms were that tired afterwards he couldn’t have lifted a 1kg dumb bell. She’s meeting a few nice ones here, up in grade, but she’s drawn better so you can’t count her out. She tries hard and really digs in.”
Race 7: Lincoln Downs
7.50pm
“She did everything right on Tuesday but she blew heavily afterwards and I think the heat got to her. She’s a place chance if she recovers OK.”
Race 8: Lincoln Maree
8.22pm
“She was jumping shadows on Tuesday and moves to the last race this time but she’s not the most genuine so I’m not holding my breath.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 3: Lincoln Lover
6.28pm
“He hasn’t raced for three months but trialled really well. I pick he’s going to win one pretty quickly and, given he’s been running against the best two-year-olds in his previous preps, it should really be on Friday night. This lot of maidens aren’t in the same class and he’s as honest as they come, a tough little trier.”
Race 6: Debbie Lincoln
8.09pm
“She’s really up against it from the outside of the second line, with all the favourites drawn well. She has to be the unluckest animal on the planet. With her, what can go wrong will. Even at the best of times you need a reasonable draw to figure but drawn in the bondocks here she’ll need incredible luck.”
Race 8: Sugar Ray Lincoln
9.09pm
“He had a short break while some vet work was done but is in good trim. Yes, there are a few in here that are vastly higher rated but his formline says it all - it’s not often he doesn’t get a cheque.”
Race 8: Tyson
9.09pm
“He was a bit unlucky last week that he didn’t get to them a bit sooner otherwise I think he would have won. Maurice said he thought they’d come back to him more, going 2:39 speed, but his closing sectionals were easily the best in the race.”
Race 10: Prince Lincoln
10.09pm
“He’s grown into a beautiful horse, a quality looking colt, and who knows what he could be. He’ll obviously improve with the run but I still expect him to run well from his good draw. He trialled very well behind a good one.”
Race 10: Johnny Lincoln
10.09pm
“He’s drawn a bit awkwardly in seven, which gives Prince Lincoln the edge, but he too was making good ground in the workout.”