HOT OFF THE PRESS: Christchurch based 3 year old filly with 3 starts for 3 x 3rds is for sale. Progressive filly for sale at NZ$35,000.
IT SLIPPED our mind last week to advise that the funds accumulated through our 2024 Punters Corner Charity tipping competition has been directed to a couple of well-deserved organisations.
Our Hong Kong based tipster, in thoroughbred commentating guru and harness racing enthusiast Mark McNamara, was our top dollar earner at the end our fifty-week 2024 tipping competition and had A$787.00 banked.
As the Mid Canterbury area has such a strong harness racing community, we have upped the A$787.00 to NZ$1,000.00 and that amount, with Mark’s approval, is heading to not only the Ashburton Cancer Society but also Hospice Mid Canterbury.
No doubt you will agree very worthwhile groups and two that unfortunately our harness racing family have been of need of in the past and no doubt sadly in the future.
We again sincerely thank Chris Barsby, Mark and our mystery tipster in The Methven Magpie, for the time and effort they put in each week to supply Punters Corner with their best harness racing bets for the fifty weeks.
WITH NO OTHER harness meeting on in the North Island until next Mondays low key Cambridge meeting, how can this Friday nights Cambridge meeting only put together six races ?
Of those, two are $15,000 prizemoney races with just six starters in one and seven in another.
The meeting only generated sixty-two (62) nominations in total.
To make things worse, next Mondays meeting has only forty-two (42) nominations, so it's no wonder many are crying out and have for some time, that North Island harness racing is a basket case.
Just listen to the South Island guys who are close to their local club and have had enough of all their good work partly being diverted to prop up North Island harness racing.
ON THE other hand, the North Island NZB Standardbred Yearling Sale tour has been completed for another year.
We are told attendance was strong in numbers with a large number of South Island trainers and prospective buyers taking the opportunity to inspect most of the yearlings to go under the hammer on Saturday 15th of February.
Our man on the ground says the Alabar NZ, Woodlands Stud and the Rogerson Bloodstock consignments were presented outstandingly.
We were told that the Captaintreacherous (USA) colt from champion mare Adore Me (1.47.7, 26 wins, $1,677,032) which is lot 70 and lot 73 the Captaintreacherous (USA) colt from Better Twist (1.52.1, 15 wins, $607,122) were the stand outs from the tens of yearlings shown off to prospective buyers.
AS TIME IS short this week we will close off – Have a great remainder of your week.
Trust plenty of winners are forthcoming.
Stuart and Marg Valentine
