A new gig across the Tasman for Brittany

Australian harness racing’s loss will most certainly be New Zealand’s gain, with highly respected Sky Racing presenter Britanny Graham announcing a big career move early next year.

The Miracle Mile in March will be Graham’s final on-air engagement for Sky Racing before she crosses the Tasman to join the Trackside NZ team in Christchurch for a gig that includes expanding her scope to thoroughbred racing.

“I’ve absolutely loved my time at Sky Racing, but this was an opportunity at the right time of life which I couldn’t say no to,” Graham said.

“I’ve been to New Zealand lots of times for work and holidays, including just recently for the huge NZ Cup Week, and harness racing just has a much bigger profile than it does in Australia,” she said.

“It was a lifestyle choice for me – I’ve got lots of friends in NZ, especially the South Island, and I’ll get to combine my love for horses with my work.  I’ll train a horse or two and do some occasional race driving too.”

As well as establishing herself as one of the most capable and insightful analysts in the game, the Queenslander has enjoyed success on the track with 310 wins as a driver and 41 as a trainer.

She rates her biggest thrill to be driving her favorite horse, Majestic Harry, to a fifth behind champion trotter Just Believe in the 2022 Inter Dominion final in Melbourne.

Graham said she was looking forward to what would be a big life change.

“I am very sad to be saying goodbye to an amazing period in my life, though with immense gratitude,” she said on social media.

“I walked into those studios on my first day an extremely nervous girl with very little self-belief that I was capable of what I’ve achieved, and still can’t fathom the amazing journey I have gone on.

“For those who believed in me and allowed me to find my way into the job I love now, thank you.

“I still pinch myself at the amazing people, horses and parts of the world I have been lucky enough to see and cover. It truly wasn’t work!”

Graham said she was looking forward to “business as usual” right through until the Miracle Mile.

Her addition to the Trackside NZ team follows other high-profile recruits including Guy Heveldt, Emily Murphy and Jayne Ivil, adding to the talented existing lineup.

“I’m looking forward to working with a lot of people I know and being part of NZ racing at a time when there is a real buzz around it,” Graham said.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink