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Copy That again shows his class in the $1m Race by Grins

By Michael GuerinFor the little pacer who can Copy That the winning isn’t the hard part.He proved that again in the $1million Race by Grins at Cambridge on Friday night as he led and raced away from Old Town Road to record a paint by numbers victory in New Zealand’s richest harness race.Nothing new in that, Copy That was always going to be the horse to beat after drawing to find his favoured pacemaking role, his little legs spinning in a happy rhythm being when he is most potent.That is how ...

The Race By Grins Preview Show

Join host Brendan Popplewell with Craig Thompson in studio for the $1 million "The Race By Grins" preview show, Nicole Sims reports from Cambridge and we are also joined by all the key players for an inside glimpse at the upcoming "The Race By Grins"...

Better Eclipse flying under radar for $1m race

By Michael GureinBetter Eclipse may bring one of the fastest Australian mile times ever to tomorrow’s $1million race but he is lacking in that most Australian of qualities: hype.The five-year-old pacer and his stablemate Triple Eight are the two Aussie representatives in tomorrow’s harness slot race at Cambridge, both trained by husband and wife team Greg Sugars and Jess Tubbs.Sugars is one of the most respected harness horsemen in Australia and Triple Eight will be driven by Australia’s m...

Telfer promises aggressive tactics in the $1m The Race by Grins

By Michael GuerinPremiership-winning trainer Steve Telfer is promising the $1million Race by Grins won’t be a simple stroll around Cambridge Raceway for favourite Copy That on Friday night.Two-time New Zealand Cup winner Copy That has opened the $2.20 favourite for the harness slot race and has rarely been beaten in front, especially in New Zealand where his open class form has been incredibly consistent for over two years.But while Copy That seems to have drawn ideally at barrier three in the...

Copy That gets perfect draw for The Race By Grins

By Michael GuerinDual New Zealand Cup hero Copy That has been handed the perfect opportunity to put a $1milllion exclamation mark on his career at Cambridge on Friday night.The wonderful pacer is likely to start from the seemingly perfect barrier 3 in The Race by Grins, the $1million slot race which will have eight New Zealand and two Australian visitors for its second running.Copy That drew barrier 4 on Monday night but emergency Smiffys Terror drew barrier two and is unlikely to gain a start s...

The Box Seat Preview Show

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Sweepstake winner keen on Copy That

Wayne Keoghan doesn’t follow the horses. He’d never heard of Copy That before today.But on Friday night, there won’t be one person in the country more focussed on his run in the $1million The Race By Grins at Cambridge.That’s because Keoghan stands to win $50,000 if Copy That takes out the big slot race after drawing the ruling favourite in Cambridge Raceway’s sweepstake.That Keoghan, 57, even bought a ticket was remarkable considering he and his wife Fiona hadn’t been to the races f...

The Race by Grins Barrier Draw to be Live on SENZ radio Monday 6 pm

The all-important barrier draw for the 2023 The Race by Grins will be broadcast live on SENZ on Monday the 10th of April at 6pm.“With the four favoured horses unable to be separated by the bookies, it shows just how crucial this draw is going to be,” said Cambridge Raceway CEO Dave Branch.“The draw will be hosted by Michael Guerin and Greg O’Connor and overseen by RIB CEO Mike Clement. Horse names will be randomly drawn from a hat, and the corresponding connection will be called from the...

Self Assured rewards punters with Cambridge gem

By Michael Guerin, NZ HeraldNatalie Rasmussen was back doing what she does best at Cambridge on Thursday night, and the punters who stuck with Self Assured loved every second of it.Rasmussen, who had not driven in a race this season until Thursday, produced a gem of a drive to get Self Assured home in the $45,000 Flying Mile even after he started from the outside of the front line.The race was the final lead-up to the $1 million The Race next Friday and the defending champion did exactly what he...

Kango confirmed for The Race by Grins - "incredibly exciting"

By Michael GuerinJust a few years ago Arna Donnelly couldn’t have believed she would be where she is now.Where that is is the leading trainer in the Waikato and with her stable star Kango preparing to line up on her home track for $1million in The Race by Grins.Kango became the ninth and likely second-last invite to the race when his connections secured the Dunstan Feeds slot on Wednesday, bringing a real Waikato flavour to the April 14 race.He will not only have Donnelly as his trainer but th...

Green feeling good heading towards million dollar race

by Michael Guerin, HRNZFriday was a good day for Ray Green and he is hoping a Friday a few weeks away is even better.Green’s stable star Copy That got the perfect confidence-boosting win in the $45,000 City Of Auckland Free-For-All at Alexandra Park, easily wresting the lead from Kango early and then controlling the race.He only sprinted up the straight in the hands of Blair Orange to hold out Kango with Smiffy’s Terror third as the leaders dominated, aided by Self Assured and Alta Wiseguy l...

White to drive in The Big Dance

By Joshua Smith, Harness News DeskMatthew White is pinching himself as he prepares to drive in New Zealand’s richest race at Cambridge Raceway next month.The local horseman will partner Nicholas Cage in the $1million Race by Grins (2200m) on April 14 for Cambridge trainers Andrew and Lyn Neal.The four-year-old gelding sealed his place in the rich feature after a convincing 2-1/4 length victory in the Gr.3 Founders Cup (1700m) against a quality line-up at Alexandra Park last Friday.Nicholas Cag...

The Race by Grins sweepstake launched

Waikato Bay of Plenty Harness Inc. have launched sweepstake with a prize pool of $100,000 for The Race by Grins on April 14, at Cambridge Raceway. A total of 2,000 tickets for the sweepstake will be sold at $100 each. Ten tickets will be drawn 6pm on April 6, 2023, each of the 10 tickets drawn will then be allocated a horse, which will run for them in The Race by Grins to win cash prizes.The ticket holder allocated the first placed horse will win $50,000, second $20,000, third $12,000,...

Trevor and fellow slot-holders grinning over landing Copy That for The Race that matters

Barry Lichter, Lincoln FarmsEveryone will be watching Copy That’s return to the track at Auckland on Friday night but no one with more interest than high profile owner Trevor Casey and his fellow slot-holders.In just five weeks, the champion will be carrying their hopes in the $1 million The Race By Grins at Cambridge, after Casey came to a deal with his good friends, Copy That’s owners Merv and Meg Butterworth.Casey, who owns the slot along with IRT boss Richard Cole, Glenn Holland, Stephen...

Could Bondi Lockdown be heading to Cambridge?

By Adam Hamilton, HRNZA trip across the ditch for The Race By Grins is a possibility for rejuvenated Aussie pacing star Bondi Lockdown.Owner Aaron Dunn and Team McCarthy will decide this week where to go with the five-year-old, who gunned-down Kiwi raider and leader B D Joe to win last night’s $100,000 Light Horse free-for-all (2400m), which was effectively a Miracle Mile consolation.Bondi Lockdown worked to the front then took a sit on B D Joe soon after before getting an inside run late and ...

Six slots left to fill for The Race by Grins

If New Zealand’s only $1 million harness racing event is anywhere as frenetic as the build-up it should be worth the wait.The Race by Grins will have its second running at Cambridge on April 14, with the prize money for the slot race rising by $100,000 after starting at $900,000 last season.The 2200m mobile pace will contain 10 runners and four are already confirmed, one as good as done, another high-profile name has pulled out and the connections of some other stars are now waiting until afte...

Cullen Breeding Ltd secure Akuta

Cullen Breeding have confirmed that their five-time Group One winner Akuta will represent them in the $1 million The Race, by Grins on April 14. Akuta is already a winner at Cambridge having won the Gr.1 McMillian Equine Feeds 2YO Emerald (1609m) at the 2021 IRT Harness Jewels. The last start Gr.1 NZ Derby winner is the third horse confirmed for The Race, by Grins following Old Town Road (Hydroflow) and Better Eclipse (PI & GJ Kennard Bloodstock LTD). Australian slot holders A...

Aussie Lads begin search for replacement runner

Aussie Lads are back in the hunt for a runner to fill their slot in the $NZ1 million The Race, by Grins at Cambridge on April 14. The connections of star Victorian pacer Rock N Roll Doo, who had signed-on to race in the Aussie Lads' slot, have decided to spell the Victoria Cup winner after some indifferent form.  He will not be contesting The Race, by Grins. “The horse himself is great, but he’s telling us he’s had enough and racing well below his best, so we’re turning hi...

Kennards secure Better Eclipse for The Race, by Grins

Christchurch couple Phil & Glenys Kennard have secured the dual Group One winning pacer Better Eclipse for the $1 million The Race, by Grins at Cambridge Raceway. The five-year-old son of Betterthancheddar is trained by Jess Tubbs in Victoria for owner Antoinette Bajada and was bred by Joe Bajada. The Kennards are the third slot holders to confirm their runner for New Zealand's equal richest race, and richest harness race, with Hydroflow represented by Old Town Road and A...

Could Self Assured defend his title in The Race, By Grins?

Gareth Hall and his Kiwi guests discuss The Race on the Karaka Wrap Up (from 7 min). ...

Rock N Roll Doo confirmed for The Race by Grins

By Adam Hamilton, HRNZThe Rock N Roll Doo team feel they have unfinished business in New Zealand and now they’ve found a partner to help them tackle it.Owner Brendan James declared his intent to chase the $1 million Race by Grins a few weeks back and now "Aussie Lads" has teamed-up with the star pacer for its slot in the April 14 race at Cambridge.“We said after NZ Cup Week we wanted to go back to NZ,” James said.“As much as we’d have loved things to go better in Christchurch, the bigg...

Hydroflow secure Old Town Road

Slot holders Hydroflow have secured four-year-old Bettor's Delight gelding Old Town Road for the $1 million The Race by Grins at Cambridge Raceway on April 14.The John Dickie trained pacer has had a rapid rise to the major league in New Zealand, running sixth in the Gr.1 IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup at just his 13th start. He followed that performance with a third placing in the Gr.1 NZ Pacing Free For All, behind last year's winner and second place getter in The Race by Grins, Self Assured...

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 proud...

2023 Market released for The Race, by Grins

The NZ TAB have released the following market for the 2023 edition of The Race, by Grins:...

Favourite Self Assured too good in The Race

Champion horseman Mark Purdon only had one complaint after favourite Self Assured won New Zealand’s first ever slot race at Cambridge on Thursday night.“He should have won by more,” laughed Purdon after the $900,000 The Race by Grins.It was tongue in cheek but also a nod to the physical dominance of Self Assured as he overcame the widest barrier and having to sit parked for the last lap to win harness racing’s new glamour race.Kept out of the early burn as first Alta Orlando, Spankem and...