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Spellbound withdrawn

Classy mare Spellbound has been withdrawn from The Race by Grins, following a freak paddock injury.  As per the The Race terms & conditions, slot holders have until 11am tomorrow (Tuesday April 5) to make their final face acceptances, which means the slot holders have just under 24 hours to find and nominate a replacement horse to take their slot.  The $900,000 The Race by Grins (2200m) takes place at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday June 14. The barrier draw will be streamed li...

Alta Orlando "still all go" for The Race

One of the young men charged with flying the Australian flag in The Race by Grins at Cambridge on April 14 says he isn’t losing too much sleep over Alta Orlando’s defeat at Menangle on Saturday. The shock inclusion in the new $900,000 slot race led but was run down into fourth in the Group 3 at Menangle against horses inferior to those he will meet at Cambridge but driver Jack Callaghan says it wasn’t all the veteran pacer’s fault.“He is a horse who takes a lot of work and he had ...

New Zealand’s new $900,000 slot event The Race set for April 14 debut

Slot racing is not everyone’s cup of tea.But it has certainly been a huge hit Down Under and now harness racing is about to have its first dabble.Australian thoroughbred racing started it Down Under with The Everest, which is now in its sixth year and quickly established as one of the greatest races on the very strong Australian racing calendar. It even rivals historic and ironic thoroughbred features like the Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate for interest and coverage.This year’s Everest in Octob...

Excitement building for the inaugural The Race, by Grins

There is plenty of excitement surrounding SENZ’s slot in Harness Racing’s New Zealand newest innovation - The Race, by Grins. Self Assured, trained by Mark Pardon and Hayden Cullen, is holding the hopes of the SENZ team for the inaugural running of The Race which takes place at Cambridge Raceway on April 14. SENZ has pledged to allow listeners to share in the opportunity and has been giving away 0.5% shares in Self Assured with the potential to win up to $2,000.So far there are five lucky li...

Jack ready to pack his bags for The Race

The rise and rise of top young Aussie harness racing driver Jack Callaghan will continue in New Zealand next month.Callaghan, 20, was thrilled to learn one of his favourite pacers Alta Orlando had snared a spot in the inaugural $NZ900,000 The Race at Cambridge on April 14.It will be Callaghan’s first time driving outside of Australia.“He’s been such a great and important horse in my career, it’s only fitting he’s the first one I’ll drive in NZ,” Callaghan said.“He was the first r...

Grins get around The Race

Grins, the Ready To Drink alcoholic beverage created by All Black legend Stephen Donald and current All Blacks Anton Lienert-Brown and Damian McKenzie, is the naming rights sponsor of The Race.  The Race by Grins, at Cambridge Raceway on Thursday April 14, is the first harness racing slot race in Australasia and New Zealand’s richest standardbred race with a stake of $900,000.   “We’ve signed up for three years and we’re going to be with Cambridge Raceway every step of the...

Contrasting fortunes for The Race contenders at Addington and Auckland

By Michael Guerin The All Stars team for harness racing’s new slot race may not be finalised just yet.Because after wins and losses at Alexandra Park and Addington on Friday night their options for the $900,000 The Race at Cambridge on April 14 seem to be growing.Trainers Mark Purdon and Hayden Cullen already have the favourite Self Assured in the new race and he was stunning winning at Alexandra Park.The fact he could come from last over the 1700m of The Founders and win so easily suggested h...

Aussie presence grows for The Race

By Michael GuerinHarness racing’s $900,000 slot race secured maybe its most important contender yet with Australian visitor Mach Dan already in Auckland to prepare for The Race.Mach Dan is the second of two Australian-based pacers to secure slots in The Race in the last two days, with former Kiwi mare Spellbound also now coming to the April 14 race at Cambridge on a hit and run mission.That means nine slots in the new race, based on The Everest concept, are as good as gone with one signing sti...

Second mare enters The Race

by Adam HamiltonNathan Purdon can’t wait to return “home” to notch up the next milestone of his blossoming training career.It was confirmed today that Purdon’s brilliant mare Spellbound would fill the “Hole in the Wall” slot in the inaugural $900,000 The Race at Cambridge on April 14.It’s so fitting that Spellbound will be the pacer to give Purdon his first crack at winning a big race back in NZ since moving to Australia to continue his career about 16 months ago.“Amazing Dream h...

Five down, five to go for The Race

by Dave Di Somma, Harness News DeskThe Race is now half full. Northern star Hot and Treacherous has become the fifth horse to be confirmed for Australasia's first ever slot race, the $900,000 The Race at Cambridge on April 14.Trained by the father and son partnership of Brian and Gareth Hughes, Hot And Treacherous will race for slot-holder the Honey Bros. John Green is a director of the company and has a long association with the Hughes, having trained with Brian for a decade till 2013.The ...

Stylish Memphis confirmed for The Race

by Adam HamiltonMighty mare Stylish Memphis is heading back home for a tilt at the inaugural $900,000 The Race at Cambridge on April 14.And another fine Kiwi product, young gun horseman Jack Trainor, is going with her.The only question is when and how long Trainor returns home.“I’m super excited to get a chance to go back home and drive in a really big race like this, especially on a mare who’s been as great to me as Stylish Memphis,” Trainor said.“It’s happened pretty quickly. Jones...

Draw crucial to South Coast Arden's success

By Michael GuerinBrent Mangos got the proof he was hoping for in the City Of Auckland Free-For-All on Friday night.Proof that when South Coast Arden draws to lead he can win any race in New Zealand, and that includes the $900,000 The Race at Cambridge in just over a month.The giant pacer re-enacted his New Zealand Free-For-All triumph over Self Assured when he led early in the mobile 2200m at Alexandra Park and trainer-driver Mangos kept the hammer down over the last 800m in 54.8 seconds to just...

Krug camp takes Aussie Lads slot in The Race

Kentuckiana Lodge has confirmed that Krug's secured a start in Australasia’s first-ever slot race.Currently racing in Australia, Krug is the third horse to secure a place in April's "The Race", along with Self Assured (SENZ) and Pembrook Playboy (Dunstan Horse Feeds).With Krug a champion two and three-year-old and now having established himself as an open class star, the opportunity by slot holders Aussie Lads to start in The Race is one trainers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety simply had to take.�...

Hot And Treacherous looms as a contender for The Race

Champion driver Maurice McKendry says Hot And Treacherous wouldn’t be out of place in the $900,000 The Race as competition for slots starts to heat up.Hot And Treacherous showed manners, speed and courage to win the $30,000 IRT Summer Cup at Alexandra Park on Friday night, continuing his steady improvement curve for trainers Brian and Gareth Hughes.It was his ninth career win from 25 starts and capped a good run of form that has seen him close up behind Self Assured (who has a slot) and Krug (...

SENZ acquires slot in 'The Race' New Zealand

Sports Entertainment Network’s SENZ national radio platform has pledged to allow listeners to share in the opportunity after securing a slot in New Zealand harness racing’s newest innovation.SENZ confirmed today it had bought one of 10 slots in ‘The Race’ for the next three years – an innovative trots race based on Sydney thoroughbred race The Everest.Sports Entertainment Network’s SENZ national radio platform has pledged to allow listeners to share in the opportunity after securing ...

The Race slot holders confirmed

Slot holders for New Zealand’s first slot race, the first harness racing slot race in Australasia, and New Zealand’s richest harness race, The Race have been confirmed. The inaugural edition of The Race will be held at Cambridge Raceway in April will carry an initial stake of $900,000, with prizemoney expected to surpass $1 million in its second and third years.  Waikato-Bay of Plenty Harness Inc. have today released the names of the 10 ...

Harness racing’s “The Race” sold out

Harness racing’s first slot race is now confirmed for three years with all 10 slots in the $900,000 event sold.The Race, based on the hugely successful Everest thoroughbred race in Sydney, will has its inaugural running at Cambridge on April 14, with the host club hoping to raise the stake to $1.1million by 2024 making it the richest horse race in New Zealand and richest harness race in the Southern Hemisphere.While the slot holders will not be named until Wednesday, Waikato-Bay Of Plenty Harn...

It's all go for The Race

By Michael GuerinNew Zealand’s first ever slot race is now certain to go ahead at Cambridge on April 14 but club officials are giving potential slot buyers another week to finalise bids because of Covid.The Race has already attracted eight confirmed slot holders with a number of other applications for the remaining two slots expected but delayed as bidders try to clarify travel restrictions for horses and people involved.But with eight slots already sold the 2200m mobile pace will go ahead eve...

Pembrook Playboy back from untimely injury

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News desk  Star pacer Pembrook Playboy is on the verge of a race day comeback.The winner of 11 from 27 starts was cruelly denied a start in last year’s New Zealand Cup after suffering a leg injury just days out from the big race.As it turned out it wasn’t too serious.“We were lucky really,” says trainer-driver Nathan Williamson, “he had torn a muscle in his hindquarters.”His recovery since has gone well, with Williamson gradually increasing the five-yea...

Applications now open for The Race

By Michael GuerinNew Zealand’s first ever harness slot race has taken a major step forward with official applications now open for slot holders for The Race.The $900,000 pace at Cambridge on April 14 will likely have 10 slots sold for $75,000 a year, with the first contracts for three years.Once purchased a slot holder can race a horse of their own in that slot or engage another horse for it, with a minimum return of $37,500 so no slot holder can lose more than half their investment even if th...

South Coast Arden staying home

South Coast Arden’s assault on the $1million Miracle Mile is over before he even got to take his first public steps toward the great race. Trainer Brent Mangos says the restrictions on travel between Australia and New Zealand simply made getting staff and even a driver back and forth across the Tasman too difficult so after meeting with the gelding’s connections they have changed their targets.“It is a real shame as it was a race I was looking forward to going after,” says Mangos.He has ...

Moran, "Would Love" Slot in The Race

Trainer David Moran says he would love to get a slot in The Race with forgotten Aussie super pacer Lochinvar Art.And while he has some big targets at home to get through first, Moran says bringing a top horse to New Zealand is something he has always dreamed of.Lochinvar Art returns to public at the Melton trials on Tuesday to start a new campaign aimed at the Hunter Cup and Miracle Mile.He missed almost all of 2021 because of two separate issues, suffering a corn before cracking a cannon bone.D...

The Box Seat discuss THE RACE

The Box Seat's Michael Guerin and Greg O'Connor discuss the announcement of The Race on their December 21, 2021 episode....

NZ's first slot race confirmed for Cambridge

New Zealand's racing first "slot" race based around the hugely successful Everest concept has been confirmed for Cambridge in April, but with a significant stake increase that will instantly make it the richest harness race in New Zealand. The $900,000 invite-only race on April 14 will be simply called The Race. Harness Racing New Zealand programmed the race as part of their radical overhaul of the New Zealand calendar for 2022 and the idea has now been picked up by the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Har...