Victorian drivers John Caldow and Lisa Miles are the newcomers in the Australian team for the American Ideal Trans Tasman Drivers Challenge at Ascot Park on Sunday.
They join Lance Justice and Kerryn Manning who with Greg Sugars and Chris Alford, represented the lucky country last year.
Justice, Manning and Alford each won a race but Manning received a $200 excessive use fine after her victory on Groomsman and Australia didn’t fare so well, finishing last of the three teams.
All four members of last season’s series winning North Island team of Zac and David Butcher, Maurice McKendry and Peter Ferguson are back to defend their title with McKendry also defending his top individual driver title.
The second placed South Island side of Dexter Dunn, Blair Orange, Ricky May and Nathan Williamson is also unchanged.
Caldow, who won the 2012 Four Year Old Mares Breeders Crown aboard Miss Moonlite for former southerner Andrew Stuart, holds the Australian record for the most consecutive tallies of more than 100 wins in a season.
Miles, who was Harness Racing Victoria’s Young Achiever Of The Year Winner in 2007 and subsequent recipient of the Vin Knight medal and Pearl Kelly Award, is no stranger to series successes, being a multiple winner of the Port Pirie challenge which pits Victoria’s best against the cream of South Australia.
Figures produced by Southland Harness Racing Manager Jason Broad show the North Island team boasts the winners of 7545 races from 55,653 drives for earnings of $69,740,912.
Totals for the South Island team are 5884 wins from 42,350 drives for stakes of $61,574,293.
The challenge will be conducted over four races on Sunday, race three a C1 To C5 handicap trot, race six a C1 mobile pace, race seven a C0 mobile pace and race nine another C1 mobile pace.
Points will be awarded on the basis of 10, seven, five, three and one for first to fifth in each race.
The drives have been allocated by ballot as follows:REGION DRIVER RACE THREE RACE SIX RACE SEVEN RACE NINE
AUSTRALIA LANCE JUSTICE Belmont Invasion 4 Isola Bella 1 Major Vibes 3 Annajodi 6
AUSTRALIA KERRYN MANNING Vulcan 10 Whata Excuse 10 Regalmahon 6 Pennyana 1
AUSTRALIA JOHN CALDOW Kerryn Kylie 1 Frank The Tank 7 Leah Mac 5 The Tisbury Terror 11
AUSTRALIA LISA MILES Mass Invasion 9 Spinnaker 2 Better Deliver 10 Black Athena 5
NORTH ISLAND DAVID BUTCHER Trick Star 8 Franco Tyson 9 Conbien 4 Highview Illusion 4
NORTH ISLAND PETER FERGUSON Anothersuperstar 7 Lite Platinum 11 Northview Dave 1 Nothingforthemedia 12
NORTH ISLAND MAURICE MCKENDRY Springbank Eden 3 Sioux Nation 12 Don’t Call Me 11 Russian Express 2
NORTH ISLAND ZAC BUTCHER Poppymalda Baileys Wish 4 Beau Cishlom 2 In The Kitty 10
SOUTH ISLAND DEXTER DUNN Overcast 6 Laughing Cavalier 5 Whynottagrey 9 A Damn Good Excuse 7
SOUTH ISLAND BLAIR ORANGE NO DRIVE Liam Sienna 6 Rahuri Badlands 8 Smiles For Miles 9
SOUTH ISLAND RICKY MAY The Badger 2 Sweet Loress 8 Hot Chilli 13 All Jokes Aside 8
SOUTH ISLAND NATHAN WILLIAMSON Circus Boy 5 Leolas Delight 3 Callmekiwi 12 Sammy The Bull 3
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
