NZ HARNESS NEWS
Robbie Burns, a winner of 10 races and over $150,000 in stakes, has run his last race in New Zealand.
The son of Live Or Die has been sold and will do his future racing in North America, trainer Robert Dunn has confirmed.
Robbie Burns’ best performance was arguably a Group 1 placing in the 2016 Taylor Mile at Alexandra Park, won by Australasia’s fastest ever pacer, Field Marshal.
On the same flight this weekend will be another Dunn-trained pacer, Spondulicks.
The full brother to multiple Group 1-winning mare Piccadilly Princess won three races for Dunn, the most recent at Addington before Christmas.
Northern pacers Bettors Spirits and Kaitlyn will also be on the same flight, the latter’s sale also organised through Dunn.
Rhys Fensom, husband of Kaitlyn’s trainer Penny Fensom, works with Dunn at his Pukekohe stable.
“She was no star but is quite a tough horse,” said Penny Fensom.
“She was a really nice horse to have around the stable.”
Oaks winner retired prematurely
Last season’s inaugural North Island Trotting Oaks winner, Kissmeimloaded, has been retired due to soundness issues.
“She didn’t have any cartilage in one of her hind leg pedal bones,” said trainer Jack MacKinnon.
“In the end all the joints in that foot started collapsing on each other so we retired her.”
The daughter of Majestic Son is a half-sister to grand Love You mare Yagunnakissmeornot (17 wins) and that will likely be the determining factor for Kissmeimloaded’s first consort.
“We are thinking of sending her to Love You, the resulting foal being a three-quarter to Yagunnakissmeornot,” said MacKinnon.”
MacKinnon and his father, Jamie, have started a long-term trotting breeding operation and the first mare in their band has just left her first foal.
“Whitney ($124,101) has just had a foal by Muscle Mass and is in foal to Muscle Hill.”
MacKinnon can only think what might have been with Kissmeimloaded, who he says had exceptional ability.
“What she could have done I guess we’ll never know, but I think she would have been pretty good.”
He has honest trotter Prince George to go on with while he is also breaking in a yearling full sister to former 2YO Trotter of the Year, Flying Isa.
Negus pleads guilty after positive swab
Canterbury trainer Bruce Negus has pleaded guilty to a charge of presenting a horse to race not free of a prohibited substance.
Living Legend returned a positive post-race swab to the anti-inflammatory drug Ketoprofen after winning an amateur drivers’ race at Addington on Janaury 26.
RIU stewards charged Negus and he subsequently pled guilty with runner-up Westar Sam subsequently promoted to first.
At the time of publication, the JCA had not ruled on a penalty.
- NZ Harness News
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