A Wednesday meeting at Addington, three listed Harness Million races, and the last of the Silk Road heats make for a busy harness racing week around the country, starting at Cambridge tomorrow.
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
The first of three midweek October meetings at Addington will kick off this week.
Eight races have been scheduled for Wednesday, with stakes of $8000 for each race, starting at 4pm.
The meeting is designed to give non-winners and other lower-graded horses more chances to race. Wednesday’s meeting will be followed by two more meetings on October 16 and 27.
Cambridge will continue with its #seeyounextTuesday meetings tomorrow with Ascot Park Invercargill hosting a meeting on Thursday before Friday Night Lights continues at Addington and Auckland.
Addington has a stacked Premier night including the $200,000 NZB Standardbred Harness Million 2YO Colts and Geldings, the $150,000 for the 2YO Fillies and $75,000 for the 2YO Trotters. There’ll also be the $100,000 Group 1 Flying Stakes for the 3YOs.
The harness racing week will round off with the Oamaru Cup meeting on Sunday.
Last chance for Fillies and Mares in Silk Road series
The fifth and final heat of the Silk Road Northern Spring Series for the Fillies and Mares will be held at Alexandra Park on Friday night.
The first two in each heat automatically qualify for the $30,000 Final on Friday, October 18.
So far there have been four $15,000 heats, with favourite Seaside Rose taking out the most recent last Friday night for driver Josh Dickie and trainers Steve and Amanda Telfer. Double Quick was second for the country’s leading trainers Robert and Jenna Dunn.
Both will be joined in the final by the six who have already qualified in Wicked Wanda, Mhai Surfer Girl, Courtney Rose, Always B Stunning , You Little Beauty and Cyren Shard.
The series, in its first year, is all about encouraging and rewarding intermediate grade (up to R54) fillies and mares to race at Alexandra Park as part of the Look North strategy to revitalise racing in and around Auckland.
The heats so far :
Heat 1, September 13 – You Little Beauty, Cyren Shard, Kourtney Kardash
Heat 2, September 21 – Courtney Rose, Akatea, Always B Stunning
Heat 3, September 27 – Wicked Wanda, Mhai Surfer Girl, Minjee
Heat 4, October 4 – Seaside Rose, Double Quick, Always B Stunning
The battle will see 12 horses battle it out for $30,000 in stakes, with the final being penalty free for any horse winning both a heat and the final.
The October 18 meeting will also see the start of the next Northern Metro Series for the Pacers and Trotters. There will be two $16,000 heats for both gaits on that night, before two $35,000 finals on October 25.
All horses racing in both series will be eligible for the new $1m Golden Gait series. The series on December 20 features 10 races, each worth $100,000 – with five pacing and five trotting races, all over a mile. Three-year-old and older horses have to have raced at least six times at Alexandra Park in the qualifying period (January 1 – December 6) while 2YO horses must have a minimum of four starts.
The heats and final format will continue every week through to December 31.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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