Young guns assemble as Hackett seeks back to back crowns

Top northern driver Crystal Hackett will be back to defend her title when the New Zealand Junior Driver Championships are held later this month.

The three legs of the Championship will be held over four days at Cambridge, Addington and Methven.

Last year Hackett won the Championship at her third attempt, edging out Kerryn Tomlinson and Olivia Thornley.

She’ll be joined this year by other young guns like Wilson House, Carter Dalgety and Sam Thornley and three newcomers in Harrison Orange, Hayden Douglas and Mia Holbrough.

The 12 drivers are (in alphabetical order) : 

Ellie Barron
Carter Dalgety
Hayden Douglas
Crystal Hackett
Seth Hill
Mia Holbrough
Wilson House
Emily Johnson
Harrison Orange
Monika Ranger
Gemma Thornley
Sam Thornley

In this year’s Junior Premiership House leads on 79 wins, eight clear on Dalgety while Orange is third on 50.

The qualifying period for this year’s Championship was from January 1 – November 2, 2025 with drivers accruing  points throughout the season. They ranged from seven for first down to one for fifth.

The 12 drivers consist of the top four points-scorers in Canterbury, the top two in the North Island, the top two in the Southern region (south of the Waitaki), the next two highest points scorers overall and a wild card, selected by HRNZ Chief Executive Brad Steele. He chose Monika Ranger.

It’s planned to have six heats in total starting at Cambridge on Thursday November 27 and then moving to Addington the next day before the third and final round of heats at  Methven on Sunday, November 30.

From Harness Racing New Zealand