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About White’s Turn

It may have taken a little longer than he would have liked but Cambridge horseman Matthew White secured his first New Zealand training win with About Turn at Cambridge Raceway on Friday night. White, who trains in partnership with Mike Berger, previously spent 10 years in Australia where he recorded 76 wins in his four seasons of training in Western Australia. “We finally got that first New Zealand win out of the way, so that was great. It’s a bit of a highlight,” White said. It was...

Cambridge triumvirate for local trainers

Cambridge trainers Andrew and Lyn Neal will line-up three horses at their local meeting on Friday night. The husband and wife duo will kick-off proceedings with A Better Dancer in the Black Dog Furniture Mobile Pace (2200m), and they are hopeful of a form reversal from their galloping pacemaker. “We thought we would put him into the amateurs race so that he would receive a draw, and just to see where we are at with him,” Lyn Neal said. “He just keeps on drawing number eight and he h...

Records fall at Cambridge

Track records fell and bonus’ were earnt at Cambridge Raceway on Tuesday night with the inaugural running of the Melbourne Cup Day 2 Mile Handicap Pace and Trot (3200m) races. Group One winner and Inter Dominion hopeful Temporale lowered the previous track record by more than three seconds when he won the trot in 4.05.8, while eight-win gelding Comic Book Hero set a new mark of 4.04.6 in the pacers race. With their respective times, the pair earnt their connections a $2,500 bonus, and it...

Espin’s colours to the fore at Cambridge

The purple and pink colours of Cambridge harness racing identity Bryce Espin made a return to the winner’s circle at Cambridge Raceway on Tuesday, courtesy of his seven-year-old mare Lukyanova. While Espin no longer trains, he remains a staunch follower of the sport and he enjoys watching Lukyanova compete at his home track. The daughter of Pegasus Spur had been out of form prior to Tuesday and trainer Kyle Marshall was delighted to get the win for Espin, who leases her with breeder Luk Chin. ...

Talented trotting trio target two mile challenge

A two mile trotting race isn’t a common occurrence at Cambridge Raceway, however, the Waikato track has managed to attract three of the country’s best square-gaiters to contest the Melbourne Cup Day 2 Mile Hanidcap Trot (3200m) on Tuesday. While many of New Zealand’s leading trotters are heading towards Christchurch to tackle New Zealand Cup week spoils, Group One winners Massive Metro, Temporale, and Lemond are staying closer to home in preparation for next month’s Inter Dominion s...

Donnelly scores victory for Dad

Cambridge trainer Arna Donnelly dominated early proceedings at Alexandra Park on Friday night, taking out the opening two races of the card, including the quinella in the Downbytheseaside at Woodlands Stud Mobile Pace (1700m). The result was special for Donnelly, with race victor Nun Bettor carrying the colours of Donnelly’s father Brent, who purchased the daughter of Bettor’s Delight as a weanling for $7,000. The three-year-old filly had been in good form prior to Friday, placing in t...

Quinella heads South of the Bombays again

The South Of The Bombay series has been very lucrative for Cambridge horseman Kyle Marshall. The young trainer recorded another quinella in the series at Alexandra Park on Friday night, with Pembrook Charlie and Bettor Sensation going one-two in the Bonecrusher Promotions Spring S.O.T.B Vase Mobile Pace (1609m). Last month it was a different story, with Bettor Sensation getting the better of Pembrook Charlie by a neck in the second round of the series, and Marshall said there is very littl...

Near perfect start for Meredith

The benefits of Kidz Kartz was once again on show at Cambridge Raceway on Friday night when graduate Zev Meredith made a near perfect start to his driving career. The South Auckland junior driver had just the two drives for employer Brent Mangos and he made sure to make both of them count. He began the night in fine style, dashing home late behind Gladamare to finish runner-up in the Dunstan Horse Feeds Mobile Pace (2200m) and then capped the night off on a perfect note, securing his first win w...

Paynter has strong hand at home meeting

Cambridge trainer Ross Paynter will have strong representation at his local meeting on Friday night. The Waikato horseman has a six-strong team entered for Cambridge Raceway’s meeting and he is expecting a good showing from the sextet. Ten-win gelding Gershwin will kick-off proceedings in the John Deere Handicap Trot (2700m) and Paynter doesn’t believe his 40m handicap will pose too much of an issue. “It shouldn’t worry him too much,” he said. “It is always a decent mark, 40m,...

Melbourne Cup Day comes to Cambridge

Australasia’s biggest day of racing is coming to Cambridge. “In a first for Cambridge, Cambridge Raceway will be holding a race meeting on Melbourne Cup day,” Cambridge Raceway chief executive Dave Branch said. “It’s free entry and there will be free kids entertainment.” The Raceway will offer locals the opportunity to experience the big day on course and later enjoy a quality evening of live racing, with the first harness race set to start at 6:09pm. Live coverage from Flemi...

Cambridge double for Green

South Auckland trainer Ray Green continued his rich vein of form with a winning double, including a quinella, at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night. Three-year-old colts Copy That and Line Up secured their spots in next month’s Gr.1 McMillan Equine Feeds Sires’ Stakes Final (1980m) at Addington when they went one-two in the opening heat of the series at Cambridge, over 1700m. “It was excellent,” Green said. “I was expecting them to go something like that, they are pretty nice co...

White out to break duck

Matthew White is looking to secure his first New Zealand training win at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night when he lines-up a quartet of runners with training partner Mike Berger. White entered into a partnership with the veteran trainer at the start of the season, and with five placings from 15 starts the pair have made a pleasing start to the term despite a winning result eluding their grasp. “I have been enjoying being back training,” White said. “It has been busy, but it’s go...

Marshall scores Auckland quinella

An association that began in Australia reaped rewards at Alexandra Park on Friday night for Cambridge trainer Kyle Marshall. The young horseman was in Melbourne working for expat New Zealand trainer Brent Lilley when he met prominent owner Trevor Casey. The pair have kept in touch over the years and Casey subsequently sent Marshall Bettor Sensation and Pembrook Charlie to train. Marshall repaid Casey’s faith on Friday night with a quinella in the Bonecrusher Promotions Spring S.O.T.B Round 2 M...

Dominion tilt possible for CK Spur

Consistent Cambridge trotter CK Spur did his Group One aspirations no harm when he took out the Congrats Brent Mangos On 1500 wins Handicap Trot (2700m) at Alexandra Park on Friday night. The Arna Donnelly-trained gelding had a lot of ground to make up in the straight but showed a good turn of foot to gather in his opposition to win by half a length over Mr Good and Evil. “He wasn’t entitled to win on the turn,” Donnelly said. “If he could have run third we would have been rapt, bu...

Bublitz vying for more accolades

Kaleb Bublitz is making a pleasing start to the new season. The Cambridge junior driver has placed in two of his five starts in his first season in the sulky and he is racking up awards as he comes to the end of his cadetship. Bublitz was the recipient of the North Island Premier Cadet Award at the North Island Harness Racing Awards late last month and it was a pleasant surprise for the young horseman. “It was brilliant,” he said. “I was stoked, I wasn’t expecting it. It was a rea...

Local double for Harrison

Junior driver Alicia Harrison had a night to remember at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night, securing a winning double at her local track. Harrison opened her account on the night behind Mohs Em Down in the Breckon Farms 2019 Te Awamutu Cup (2700m) for trainer Barry Purdon. It was the first time Harrison has donned the famous colours and she duly rewarded the renowned trainer’s faith with a winning result. “It was a real privilege,” Harrison said. “It was really good of Barry and...

Cambridge warhorse strikes again

Few horses in the world would have had more starts than Danke, but the 12-year-old trotter continued to defy his age at Cambridge Raceway on Friday night when taking out the Woodlands Stud Handicap Trot (2200m). It was the 13th win for the son of Sundon from an astonishing 276 starts, and he showed his strength of character to get to that mark when serving it up to his younger rivals on Friday. The Geoff Martin-trained and driven gelding sat parked for the majority of the race before kicking cle...

Friday Night race-meetings light up the Raceway

The first of seven Friday Nights Under The Lights race-meetings kicked off with a bang at Cambridge Raceway last week.   The newly branded event series has been designed to draw a new crowd to the venue with a Vivid Collective DJ between races, lighting features, dual sulky races and food truck style cuisine.  “We couldn’t have asked for a better start to the Friday Nights Under The Lights concept,” Dave Branch, CEO of Cambridge Raceway said.  “We had over 1300 people on-c...

Paynter off to a flyer

Ross Paynter is off to a flyer this season, with the Cambridge trainer posting three wins and three placings from nine starts this term. “We have had a really good start to the season,” Paynter said. “We have quite a few in work at the moment (27), so the boys are working hard and everything is going well. “I am lucky to have great staff in Fergus Schumacher and Colin Pruden, it makes my job easier.” Paytner’s third victory of the season came courtesy of a gutsy performance by pro...

Hall unlocks another promising trotter

Millionaire trotter Keystone Del didn’t win his first race until he was a five-year-old and Cambridge trainer Tim Hall is hoping that bodes well for his close relation Keystone Cavalier, who secured his maiden victory at the same age in the Horse & Jockey Trot (2200m) at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night. Keystone Cavalier is out of a full-sister (Ronerails Lass) to the 10-time Group One winner, who Hall trained to two victories in New Zealand before he crossed the Tasman to win a further 4...

Broodmare paddock beckons Auckland winner

The Nicky Chilcott-trained Juice Brogden made the best possible start to her final season on the track, winning the Thank You Graham Bayley - 37 Years At F'lin Park Hcap Pace (2700m) at Alexandra Park on Friday night. Driven by Chilcott, the six-year-old daughter stepped away well from her 20m handicap and settled midfield before she was sent forward to take the lead at the bell. The Cambridge-based trainer/driver injected pace into the race down the back straight and was able to get a brea...

Horses Birthday celebrated in Cambridge

Cambridge commuters saw an unusual sight on their way to work on Thursday morning.  Two miniature horses, Kidz Kartz racers Caramello and Cooper were guests of honour at a Birthday party outside of Homebrew Coffee on Victoria Street.  The party was thrown by Cambridge Raceway to mark the Horses’ Birthday and celebrate the launch of their new racing season.  Each racehorse born in New Zealand has their official birthday on August 1, the day on which the new season of racing begin...

Dickson heads premiership after opening night

Hunterville trainer Scott Dickson found himself in an unfamiliar position on Thursday night, leading the National Trainers’ Premiership. The Rangitikei horseman started off on the best foot on the opening night of the season, securing two wins at Cambridge Raceway. “It was definitely good to get on the leaderboard quite quickly,” Dickson said. Dickson’s first victory of the night came by the way of recent stable addition Molly Dooker who had previously been prepared in Canterbury by M...

New era for Cambridge trainer

The new season will welcome in a new era for Mike Berger as he gets set to join forces with talented young horseman Matthew White. It will be the third training partnership for the veteran Cambridge conditioner, who had previous stints with Simon Pavlovich and Warren Rich, with the latter partnership producing the quinella in the 2002 Gr.1 New Zealand Trotting Cup (3200m) with Gracious Knight and Facta Non Verba. Berger collected his gold card earlier this season and while he is not retiring, he...

Paynter set to realise childhood dream

Ross Paynter has experienced another strong season as a trainer, with 23 wins, equaling his previous best tally, and banking nearly $50,000 more in prizemoney than his previous best term. “It’s really good to back up with another reasonable season, because I thought this season might be a bit quieter,” he said. “We don’t tend to travel. I don’t think I have taken a horse to Manawatu at all this year, so we have stayed pretty close to home and got most of our winners here, I am pret...