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Aussie calling Majestic Man

By Joshua Smith, Harness News DeskAustralia is once again beckoning for Majestic Man after his win in the Gr.3 Cambridge Flying Stakes (2200m) on Thursday night.The Majestic Son gelding showed his gate speed to quickly take the lead for driver Brad Williamson who dictated terms throughout and guided his charge to a comfortable 1-1/2 length victory over stablemate Love N The Port.“He has got the game for the sprinting and with it not being a strong field, he was always going to be very hard to ...

Balle eyes bright future with maiden winner

By Joshua Smith, Harness News DeskThere looks to be plenty instore for promising trotter Eye Love You after her dominant maiden success at Cambridge Raceway on Saturday.The daughter of Love You had all her previous outings at Alexandra Park and trainer Derek Balle was unsure how she would handle the left-handed way of going for the first time in the Off The Track Food & Bev Trot (2200m).However, she quickly dispelled those fears, trotting comfortably at the rear of the field before being sen...

Group targets on the horizon for Ruby Ridge

By Joshua Smith, Harness News DeskGroup targets are on the horizon for Ruby Ridge following her win in the MVS Equine Handicap Trot (2200m) at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday.The daughter of Majestic Son was dropping back from Auckland grade, however, she had to overcome her 35m back mark and co-trainer Vaughan Blanchard admitted to being slightly concerned about that impost during the running.However, she showed her talents when running over the top of her rivals late to win by three-quarters of ...

The Race by Grins joins NZ’s richest races

The Race by Grins will join the thoroughbred code’s Karaka Million races and New Zealand Derby as the country’s richest races in 2023, with Waikato-Bay of Plenty Harness committed to a $1 million stake for the second edition of the race. The inaugural running of the innovative race earlier this year, attracted some of the best standardbreds in Australasia to compete and was won by the Mark Purdon and Hayden Cullen-trained Self Assured, the charge of slot holders SENZ. “We were really pro...

Lord Logan sheds maiden title at Cambridge

By Joshua Smith, Harness News DeskPromising juvenile Lord Logan broke through for his maiden victory at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night and his connections are hoping there are plenty more instore.The Sweet Lou gelding finished runner-up on debut earlier in the month and was subsequently backed into $2.40 favouritism for the IRT. Your Horse. Our Passion. Mobile Pace (2200m).He was eased off the gate by driver Peter Ferguson to sit midfield behind a hot early pace before improving to sit in t...

Cambridge Raceway launch catering section

Cambridge Raceway took a leap towards their goal of becoming a first-choice events hub in the Waikato today, with the launch of their new catering section, Off The Track Food & Bev. Led by Head Chef Michelle Thomson, Off The Track Food & Bev will take over all of Cambridge Raceway’s on site catering from January 1, 2023 and will also provide an out catering service. Thomson, who has more than 20 years’ experience, has been with Cambridge Raceway for the past six months, initially foc...

Young hoping winning run continues

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Trainer Jeremy Young is hoping his winning run continues when he heads to Addington Raceway on Sunday for the Grand Prix Meeting. His Auckland barn were in strong form at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday night, scoring a winning double courtesy of Twist Little Girl in the Dunstan Salute Mobile Pace (2200m) and Osko in the Merry Christmas From Dunstan Mobile Pace (2200m). A daughter of Jewels runner-up Twist N Shout, Twist Little Girl was purchased as a weanling...

Northern raider snares Trotting Oaks

Cambridge trainer Sean McCaffrey loves when a plan comes together and that is exactly what happened at Addington Raceway on Friday night when Con Grazia Love won the Gr.1 ‘What The Hill’ at Woodlands New Zealand Trotting Oaks (1980m). “We are very happy. When you come on a mission it is very fulfilling when you get it accomplished,” McCaffrey said. “You have got to figure that you are good enough for a start and she just keeps stepping up and we are lucky that everything fell into plac...

Sales punt paying off for Marshall

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Cambridge trainer Kyle Marshall took a big punt at the yearling sales last year when he paid good money for a couple of nice yearlings, and his bravery is paying off in a big way. Marshall went to $60,000 to secure Son Of Mac out of Leanach Lodge’s 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbred National Yearling Sale draft and went to the same amount to buy Yogi Son out of Breckon Farms’ draft. The talented horseman is now campaigning both horses down south an...

Copy That well and truly back in the NZ Cup fold

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk Copy That is well and truly back in the Gr.1 New Zealand Cup (3200m) picture after his brave win in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Handicap Pace (2700m) at Cambridge Raceway on Friday night. Last year’s Cup hero had a mountain to climb from his 70m back mark, but under a perfect drive by Zachary Butcher he peaked at the right time to run down his major rival Hot And Treacherous to win by a head. It was the second win on-end for the classy five-year-old from a big ...

Hibell celebrates first driving win

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk A career in harness racing was never in the picture for Leah Hibell a few years ago, but now she has reined home her first winner. Heading to Cambridge Raceway on Thursday, Hibell thought she was in with a chance of notching her first win in the opening race on the card with Del Shannon, and her instincts proved correct. The Muscle Hill entire began well from his 20m mark and Hibell was able to find an early trail behind Our Pegasus Pearl before Dave McGowan...

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...