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Merlin magic in $1m Race by Grins

By Jonny Turner, HRNZMerlin was more than magical in his national record-smashing win in the $1,000,000 The Race by Grins at Cambridge tonight.The brilliant four-year-old’s star shone even brighter than ever before when he downed a classy field in emphatic style.Merlin drew outside his arch-rival Don’t Stop Dreaming which set him a huge task to win according to most of the pre-race hype.But it proved to be up a task the Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan trained star was well and truly up for.“...

Just Believe's "huge achievement" in winning the TAB Trot

By Michael Guerin, HRNZThe little Aussie horse who has been all over the world Just Believe needed to produce a world class performance to win Friday’s $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge.The Victorian overcame having the hardest run sitting parked to head home an Australian domination of the locals, clawing his way past Callmethebreeze and Queen Elida for a stunning victory in the 2200m mobile.He was driven to perfection by Greg Sugars, whose wife Jess Tubbs trains Just Believe, as he allowed the ...

Alford’s warning re Queen Elida

Champion driver Chris Alford has warned punters to drop off star trotting mare Queen Elida at their own peril.Alford, who recently topped an Australasian record 8000 career wins, says Queen Elida is as good as any trotter he’s driven and getting back close to her very best just in time for Friday night’s stellar inaugural $NZ600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge Raceway.Remarkably, the winner of 34 races and almost $800,000 is an outsider even from the coveted pole position.“I can’t work it out,...

Speak The Truth impresses in final workout

Queensland trainer Shannon Price wants to win the $NZ1mil The Race By Grins not just be an excited part of it.Not perturbed by a wide draw, Price is growing in confidence her stable star can upstage a hot field and go two spots better than his terrific recent third in the Miracle Mile at Menangle.“Everything has gone well with his first big trip away and settling in at Barry’s (Purdon) place,” Price said. “We just wanted to see how he went in his final fast workout, which he had this mor...

Ideal draw for Arcee Phoenix

Emerging training force Chris Svanosio is pinching himself about just being involved in Friday night’s $NZ600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge Raceway.Add to the fact his exciting young trotter Arcee Phoenix has drawn ideally in gate two and the Victorian horseman admits his anticipation is “off the charts.”“Here I am against Purdon, Alford, Sugars and the Hopes in the richest trotting race ever run in the Southern Hemisphere, of course I’m excited,” he said.“As a stable we’ve worked ha...

Callmethebreeze primed for biggest test

Trainer Anton Golino says brilliant European import Callmethebreeze is as good as he’s had him since joining his stable as he prepares for Friday night’s $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge.Callmethebreeze, a multiple European Group One winner, has raced five times “Down Under” for three wins and a second.And he’s thrived since arriving in NZ about a week ago.“He’s really well. He’s handled the trip well, no hiccups, and has settled in nicely,” said Golino, the head trainer for the ...

Rock N Roll Doo out of The Race By Grins

Gifted Victorian pacer Rock N Roll Doo is out of the $NZ1mil The Race By Grins.But there is a silver lining to the heartbreak for owner Brendan James, trainer Mick Stanley and caretaker trainer Cran Dalgety.Rock N Roll Doo is staying in NZ for two, maybe even four feature races and he’d shown enough before his untimely hoof abscess to convince Dalgety he was to any horse in NZ at the moment.Days of hope and anguish came to an end with disappointment this morning (Saturday) when Dalgety officia...

Rock N Roll Doo in doubt for Night of Champions

Owner Brendan James is almost resigned to the fact an untimely and lingering hoof abscess will force Rock N Roll Doo out of the $NZ1mil The Race By Grins at Cambridge Raceway next Friday.The former Victoria Cup and Len Smith Mile winner was scratched from a key lead-up race, the Gr.2 McMillian Equine Feeds Pacers Flying Mile Pace, at Cambridge last night.“I can’t see how he’s going to be right in a week,” James said. “I know we’ve still got a bit of time on our side and things can im...

Rock N Roll Doo's race against time for The Race by Grins

A hoof abscess threatens to derail star Victorian pacer Rock N Roll Doo’s quest to win tomorrow week’s $NZ1mil The Race By Grins at Cambridge Raceway.Caretaker trainer Cran Dalgety had to scratch the former Victoria Cup winner from tonight’s $NZ60,000 McMillian Equine Feeds Pacers Flying Mile Pace at Cambridge when he was “quite lame” this morning.And now it’s a question of when the abscess will burst as to whether Dalgety and regular trainer Mick Stanley can have Rock N Roll Doo ri...

Price excited for NZ raid

Queensland trainer Shannon Price is so excited about Speak The Truth's looming NZ raid, she's stretching it out.Price revealed her Miracle Mile placegetter would now definitely stay on for the Taylor Mile and Messenger.And she's already planning another Kiwi trip for the huge NZ Trotting Cup in November, but more on that later.Speak The Truth, one of the emerging stars of Aussie harness, showed he was right where Price wanted him ahead with a sparkling Albion Park trial yesterday. He h...

Lilley sets the record straight with Queen Elida

Lots of Aussies will tell you star trotting mare Queen Elida has returned to NZ below her best, but trainer Brent Lilley wants to set the record straight.Yes, the stats say Queen Elida hasn’t been her dominant self and Lilley concedes she’s had some issues, but the top former Kiwi horseman says his stable star will be “right back to her best” for the inaugural $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge Raceway on Friday week.Queen Elida has raced nine times this season for three wins and three placi...

Rock N Roll Doo steps out at Cambridge

Caretaker trainer Cran Dalgety admits Thursday night will be a big learning curve for Aussie raider Rock N Roll Doo.The former Victoria Cup and Len Smith Mile winner opens his NZ raid from a back row draw in the star-studded $NZ60,000 Gr.2 McMillian Equine Feeds Pacers Flying Mile.“He hasn’t been here long, but he's a big, raw, rubber-neck sort of fella and we’re going to learn a lot more about him in this race,” Dalgety said.“I’ve been chatting a lot with Mick (Stanley, trainer) and...

Rating the Aussie raiders heading to Cambridge

Doing your form for Night Of Champions? Adam Hamilton shares his take on the Aussie Raiders below. The strongest team of Aussie-trained raiders for almost 13 years crosses the ditch chasing glory on Night of Champions at Cambridge Raceway on Friday April 12.Four trotters - headed by the globally acclaimed pair Just Believe and Callmethebreeze - make-up the majority of the field in a sensational and inaugural running of the $600,000 TAB Trot.And multiple Group One-winning pacing pair Better ...

Tubbs pair won't race in NZ prior to Night of Champions

Trainer Jess Tubbs has opted to tune-up Just Believe and Better Eclipse at home rather than have a lead-up race in NZ ahead of Night of Champions.The glamour pair are booked a flight from Melbourne to Auckland next weekend and could have run in suitable races at Cambridge the following night.Instead, Tubbs will give the glamour pair their final lead-up races at Melton on Saturday night.“Greg (Sugars) and I just felt racing them so soon after getting to NZ was a bit of a risk,” Tubbs said.“...

Final horse confirmed for $1m Race by Grins

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News DeskSouth Coast Arden has returned home to New Zealand, ahead of what will be his second tilt at The Race By Grins at Cambridge on Friday, April 12.His inclusion means the 10-horse field for the $1m race is now complete.The seven-year-old will race in the slot secured by Kennard Bloodstock, who just happen to be part of the gelding's ownership group."It's pretty clean isn't it?," says Philip Kennard of the arrangement."We did look at other horses, we ran second in ...

Speak The Truth could become a Kiwi regular

In an exciting twist, Queensland trainer Shannon Price has revealed next month’s $1mil The Race By Grins could be the first of two NZ raids this year.Price is also looking very seriously at returning for a tilt at the NZ Trotting Cup at Addington in November.“I’m thinking the best for him after the Grins is to come back home and have a long spell and to miss our (Queensland) big races through winter,” she said.“I could bring him back later in the year, when I think he’ll be even more...

Aussie Stars To Plunder Cambridge

The biggest and strongest team of Aussie raiders this century is heading to Cambridge to plunder New Zealand's richest race day.Already, seven Aussie-trained stars, headed by champion trotter Just Believe, are locked in for the huge The Race By Grins meeting on April 12.Just Believe, who cruised to his 10th win from his past 11 starts at Melton last night, will be joined by star mare Queen Elida, glamour European import Callmethebreeze and emerging star Arcee Phoenix in the inaugural $NZ575,000 ...

Queen Elida heading to NZ early

Australian-based top Kiwi horseman Brent Lilley is taking his star trotting mare Queen Elida back “home” earlier than planned. Lilley confirmed the multiple Group One winner is booked on a flight to Auckland next Wednesday, so she can prepare for a lead-up race ahead of the inaugural $575,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge on April 12.Queen Elida will tackle the $60,000 Gr.2 Waikato Flying Mile Trot  at Cambridge on April 4.But first, the five-year-old will chase another Group One victory i...

Just believe on song for TAB Trot

Champion Aussie trotter Just Believe is right where connections want him heading towards next month’s inaugural $575,000 TAB Trot.In what was almost certainly his final lead-up race, the globetrotting eight-year-old cruised to victory in last night’s Scotch Notch Memorial at Melton.Just Believe made it 10 wins (and a second) from just 11 starts since returning from his Swedish campaign in the middle of last year.It was an ideal warm-up with co-trainer and driver Greg Sugars barely moving a m...

Sweepstake winners backing up for 2024

By BARRY LICHTERYou can choose your own ticket number in Cambridge Raceway’s $100,000 TAB Trot Sweepstake - but sorry, lucky number 232 is already gone.That’s because last year’s winners Wayne and Fiona Keoghan snapped up the same number which won them first prize of $50,000 as soon as they heard the club was running the promotion again.Having beaten the odds once before, when they drew Copy That in the 2023 The Race By Grins, the Karapiro couple reckon it’s worth another $100 flutter on...

Speak The Truth and Old Town Road confirmed for The Race By Grins

There are only three slot announcements remaining following confirmation on Thursday that Australian pacer Speak The Truth and last year's runner up in The Race by Grins, Old Town Road have secured spots in the $1 million race. The John Dickie-trained Old Town Road has once again been secured by Hydrowflow while Speak The Truth will run for Hidden Honey. In something of a surprise, Queensland trainer Shannon Price confirmed Miracle Mile placegetter Speak The Truth would head to Cambrid...

Leap To Fame to miss Race By Grins

While the disappointment of Leap To Fame’s withdrawal from the $1mil The Race By Grins stings, New Zealanders may still get a look at him this year.Owner Kevin Seymour confirmed today Leap To Fame would go for a break rather than travel to Cambridge for the April 12 slot race.“He had an extremely tough run last Saturday night. It was a gruelling mile and he went flat out,” Seymour said. “He was still a bit flat today, so he won’t be going to NZ.“It’s all about what’s best for the...

Next stop Cambridge for Miracle Mile winner

Leap To Fame’s appearance in the $1 million The Race by Grins at Cambridge next month just went to another level.His powerhouse $1mil Miracle Mile win means he will cross the ditch not only as the best pacer in this part of the world, but as an all-time great of the sport.Leap To Fame overcame by far the hardest run in the race and a myriad of history to demolish his rivals at Menangle on Saturday night.The five-year-old became the first horse to win Australasia’s premier speed test from suc...

Rock N Roll Doo snares Race By Grins slot

Aussie owner Brendan James hopes it’s a case of second time lucky with high-class Victorian pacer Rock N Roll Doo.James today confirmed he had iced a deal for Rock N Roll Doo to run in the Barrett Homes slot in the $1mil The Race By Grins at Cambridge on April 12.Last year, when Rock N Roll Doo was the toast of Victorian harness racing, he landed the Aussie Lads slot, but lost form, had some issues and the Cambridge trip was aborted.“We’re calling it take-two,” James said. “You know ho...

TAB Trot Sweepstake launched

Waikato Bay of Plenty Harness Inc. are once again giving punters a chance to win big on Night of Champions with the $100,000 TAB Trot Sweepstake. Following the success of last year’s sweepstake the concept is being repeated this time focusing on the TAB Trot. Two thousand tickets are up for grabs at $100 a piece with eight winners to be drawn live on TAB Trackside television during the Flying Mile race meeting at Cambridge Raceway on April 4, 2024. Each winner will be drawn a co...