Harness racing news briefs – July 7

“The Hits” Forbury Park Final Race Night

“The Hits” radio station will sponsor Forbury Park’s last harness racing meeting tomorrow. The final race night will feature 10 races, starting at 5.21pm, and finishing at 9.06pm. There’ll also be a terminating Pick 6 starting at 7.01pm. A big night’s expected to farewell Forbury after more than 110 years of racing at the St Kilda venue.

Tough Monarch back in winning form

Veteran trotter Tough Monarch is the gift that just keeps giving for trainer Rickie Alchin and connections. The nine-year-old, who won the 2019 Group One New Zealand Trotting Free-For-All at Addington, returned from a spell with a sparkling 1min 54sec Menangle mile win over the weekend. It booked him a trip to Queensland to chase some of the trotting riches in coming weeks. Tough Monarch’s raced 81 times for 26 wins, 15 placings and earned $AUD439,239.

Three victories, different tracks, one day

Hall of Fame driver David Miller had quite the day on Friday July 7, winning five stakes races at three different racetracks. He started at the Meadows in Pennsylvania, where he won two races. He then flew back to drive at The Meadowlands in New Jersey where he won a race before driving across the Hudson river to Yonkers where he won a $150,000 fillies race at 9.20pm. He then drove back to The Meadowlands where he won race 10 at 10.30pm.

Dibaba gives Brennan to 11,000 wins

As everyone in harness racing in this country celebrated Ricky May’s 3000th winner at the weekend George Brennan has become just the 11th North American driver to clock up 11,000 career wins. And he brought up the milestone on a former Kiwi horse, Dibaba, who won seven races for the Chmiels before being exported in 2019.

Yole dominates in Tassie

The dominance of trainer Ben Yole in Tasmania is staggering. Yole has trained more winners than any trainer in Australia so far this season and continued the splurge by winning half the eight-race card at Hobart last Friday night. Yole sources moderately-performed and/or out-of-form horses from all around Australia for his massive stable and often has half the runners in Tasmania races.Take the Hobart meeting last Friday where Yole trained a staggering 52 of the 87 starters across the eight races.

Entries open for Yearling sale

Entries for NZB Standardbred’s 2022 National Yearling Sale are now open, with the Sale taking place next summer at Karaka and Christchurch from Sunday February 13 to Wednesday February 16. Entries close on July 30. To nominate your yearlings contact grant.inglis@nzb.co.nz

HRNZ