Grass track harness racing returns to Methven

Grass track harness racing returns to Canterbury today for the first time in nearly six months with the picturesque Mt Harding Racecourse in Methven setting the scene for what promises to be a bumper day of action..

Club president Michael Hennan is excited about the return of racing on his home track and was elated with the support his club had received from trainers and owners for the first meeting of the spring.

“We are really pleased with the nominations; they are strong, and we are very lucky trainers and owners support Methven. They like the day out there I think.

“Sometimes our first meeting can be a bit lighter on numbers, but we had trials here on Saturday and Kerry O’Reilly has the track in great order and we should be in for a great day,” he said.

While the club may have been void of any racing over the winter months, the committee has not been in hibernation have come up with a plan for upgrading some of the facilities on the course that needed attention.

“We are working really hard over the next couple of years to update our facilities that want upgrading where like most rural country racecourses a lot of our facilities are getting aged.

“We’ve been working on a plan for the upgrades, and we will continue to work on it. We are just finishing a replacement of the roof on our grandstand, and we have a tower that comes out of our roof where the commentator and judge sit that is also being worked on.

“It’s been very expensive, but we want to have facilities we can be proud of, and racegoers can be comfortable with so that will be a big feature of ours over the next two or three years,” he said.

There has been some ongoing maintenance to the surrounding roads and Heenan would like those traveling to attend to be mindful of it as they make their way to Methven.

“Racegoers will need to be aware Holmes Rd the small road leading to the club’s entrance is presently undergoing roadworks so floats will need to carry on past Holmes Rd into Methven and then turn right to the racecourse,” he said.

Heenan doesn’t have far to travel to make his way to the course and will bring with him a team of eight runners who are nominated throughout the 11-race card. He hasn’t had a winner at Mt Harding since 2019 but is confident of a good showing.

When asked about his best chances on the day he isolated a couple of runners for followers.

“I’m hopeful of having a good day. Probably Trouble Supreme (Prodigal Seelster) would be the most reliable of my chances. I suppose people would say he’s a bit of a gunner, he’s always running second or third, but he’s always been a lovely horse for us to own.

“He’s just a wee bit on the weak side but I think by the time he has a wee break he will come back strong. I thought he was really good the other day, he battled the last wee bit but he took off about the 700m in a 56 last half at Ashburton and he tried really hard.

“The runner with the most ability without a doubt is Majestic Whisper (Majestic Son). Her manners make it very difficult for her, she’s a very very fast horse and is a bit like Trouble Supreme in that she must be driven in behind and if you go early with her or if she leads, she will just run herself into the ground. And the real tricky bit is getting her away. I double-nominated her, but I think she will benefit from a run on her home track five minutes down the road then running under the lights for a better stake.

“I probably made an error three or four starts back when she was in the $20,000 race at Addington over the winter not putting her on the unruly and she has been a bit silly and galloping early since then. I’m going to get Ricky (May) to drive her this week if I can. She has got a lot of ability and is a lot better than an R35 horse which is why we are looking to take her to the mare’s race in Oamaru later in the month.”

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink