Bits and Bridles

The Manawatu Harness Racing Club will be trialling new lights this harness racing season.

“We’ll just try the new ones down the back straight and make sure the light isn’t floating onto the neighbours,” Manawatu Committee member Stephen Doody said.

It’s expected that if the trial works the rest of the course will be fitted with the updated lamps.

The Manawatu Club has seventeen race days this season starting with a three meeting carnival in November.

Georgia Goodman will have her first drive as a junior driver at Winton on Thursday.

Georgia who works for Branxholme trainer Nathan Williamson has driven at the races once before. She drove Gunner Andy at Gore in February when a junior drivers race was short of  drivers and she was granted permission to drive.

Georgia will be driving her father Ian’s horse Bill Bootit in Race Five. Her Dad has won two in his 102 drives so she’ll be hoping to give him a run for his money!

Kiwi bred Queensland based harness racing driver Adam Sanderson delivered a superb drive to get Major Hot (Art Major) home in the $150,000 Group One Ladbrokes Queensland Derby at Albion Park last Saturday night.

The win was Sanderson’s biggest pay day and his second Group One win. His first was with Wee Man Trouble in the $50,770. DJA Memorial Final at Albion Park in December 2019.

Sanderson won sixty seven races in New Zealand before moving to Australia. He worked for Southand trainers Kirk Larsen and Wayne Adams.

After winning two races over the weekend, Sam Thornley is within two wins of taking the lead in the New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship. With current leader Carter Dalgety based in America for the next two months, Thornley has an opportunity gets some wins on the board.

One of the progeny of En Solitaire, which stands at Macca Lodge in Southland won at Melton on Friday night.

Four year old trotting mare Sista Evarista won for trainer Tayla Nicolson.

En Solitaire has seventy eight foals on the ground in New Zealand. His eldest progeny are three.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink