Diamonds Day 2025 looking different

This year’s Southern Harness Racing’s Diamond Day on April 27th will have some noticeable changes.

Firstly, the Southern Oaks and the Southern Supremacy will be shortened to 2200 metres from the previous 2700 metres.

“The horses are now bred to go a bit faster and the numbers (for both finals) haven’t been huge so we were all in agreement to move it back to 2200 metres,” Southern Harness General Manager Jason Broad said.

The last time the Oaks was run over 2200 metres was in 2014 when Royal Counsel paced the distance in 2-39.4 achieving a new race, track and Southland record.

The Southern Supremacy in it’s forty one year history has been held just four times over 2200 metres, the last time being at Gore when Giovanetto won.

This year the day will offer $380,000 in stakes. The carded features will include the $100,000 Group One Diamond Creek Farm Two Year Old Classic, the Group Two $60,000 Alabar Southern Supremacy Stakes, the Group Two Nevele R/Macca Lodge Southern Oaks, the $40,000 Regent Car Court Southern Country Cups Final and a new addition, the $50,000 Group Three Entain Two Year Old Mobile Trot.

“It was down to be raced (Entain Two Year Old Mobile Trot) last year but it never got off the ground. They ended up racing it in Canterbury. There are a few young trotters floating around down here but I think they’re all going to have to come from out of the region to get this race going.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink