Jonny Turner

The withdrawal of the Southland Racing Club from Gallop South has prompted major changes to thoroughbred administration in the province.

Punters doing their form on Southland harness racing meetings could lay claim to being the most well-informed bettors in the country.

Westwood Beach pacer Titan Banner cemented his New Zealand Cup chances with a crushing win in yesterday’s Methven Cup.

The decision to send mares to leading sire Darci Brahma paid off for well-known Southland breeders the Dennis Brothers at Winton yesterday.

Trainer Murray Baker has poured cold water on rumours that Bonneval’s Caulfield Cup campaign has been devastated by injury.

It will not be just Titan Banner who will line up in tomorrow’s Methven Cup with blinkers on.

Smart pair Sensei and Our Teddy Boy proved they have only got better with age by winning their first 3yr-old starts at Timaru yesterday.

Bonneval’s unbeaten record in Australia will be on the line tomorrow in the Caulfield  Stakes (2000m), her last race-day tune-up for the $A3million ($NZ3.3million) Caulfield Cup. 

Racing is the home of the bizarre and the beautiful, something this column observes regularly, writes Jonny Turner.

The scheduling of Gore’s harness meeting on a  Saturday, rather than during the week, is a helpful bonus for two junior drivers making their racetrack debuts tomorrow.

The distinct white brands blazoned on the neck of every standardbred in the country will soon be a thing of the past.

Injury has forced classy mare New Years Jay back into retirement.

Oamaru trotter Monty Python goes to Addington tonight as a horse who is in the zone.

Otago halfback Jono Ruru has signed with the Blues for next year's Super Rugby season.

Everything went right for favourite She Will Reign yesterday as she counts down to the inaugural running of The Everest over 1200m at Randwick on Saturday.

Otago-owned pacer Field Marshal is going to have to be at his best when he carries all of the New Zealand hopes in Saturday night's Victoria Cup at Melton.

The America's Cup could not have been further from Sir Russell Coutts' mind as he took to Otago Harbour yesterday.

The Volts will go from the wilderness to the wicket at Molyneux Park today.

The New Zealand Cup campaign of Heaven Rocks is back on track.