Just like the Harness 7000—but with no restrictions on your paternity! Contenders haven’t won a $100,000 in stakes (yet), or a Group race (for now). At least one seems inevitable for all and it’s a great watch following them there!
NZ Sires Stakes Executive Martin Pierson:
“The race has moved from Ashburton on Labour Day to Addington this year and we couldn’t be happier with the eleven horses lining up!”
Berrettini’s Back!
The brave wee battler with a big swing who served his rivals a short, sharp shock defeat in last month’s Harness 7000 is back in the Sophomore Classic draw for another shot at a stakes race victory.
Trainer John ‘Coaster’ Howe and breeder/owners Phil and Christine Smith have their hearts set on Kaikoura next month—but this $50k race was a contest they couldn’t refuse on the way.
The horse and connections blew the cobwebs out with a third placing at ‘The Met’ a fortnight ago and seem ready for a rematch with Harness 7000 rivals—and more—under the Friday Night Lights.
Forget $50 on the fixed odds this time though, Phil...
Brand Barns Bringin’ It
Name recognition doesn’t get bigger than ‘Purdon’.
This year’s Sophomore Classic gets a dose of Purdon Racing quality when Mark and son Nathan bring Midnight Miki to Addington for the Sires’ Stakes feature, fresh from a creditable run in the Group 1 Flying Stakes last week.
Brother and uncle to the ‘All Stars’, Barry Purdon will have his late father Roy’s famous colours flying behind a scorching chance in the Sophomore this time.
It’s a race that saw the ‘Silver with Blue Spots’ succeed in 2023 when Sooner the Better scored before placing in that year’s Miracle Mile in Sydney—and who’s progressed so far as to be a guaranteed runner in next month’s New Zealand Trotting Cup!
Now Barry’s back in the sulky and flat out watching his thoroughbreds win, Scott Phelan is well in charge of steering the harness racing team.
Their big hope is Greased Lightnin’—last seen fishtailing home late in the Group One Flying Stakes—Look out!
Cullen Streak
Hayden and Amanda Cullen can’t put a foot wrong lately.
The stables Nevele R Fillies are flying and the Cup Carnival attack all round looks lethal each morning on the barn white board you’d think.
Stable runner for the Sophomore, Five Crowns might’ve drawn the outside fence on Friday for them, but he’s a strike-rate horse with the right ownership group when it comes to stakes racing success.
Robert and Jenna Dunn’s team are always in form this time of year. With General John Dunn steering out of his skin since returning from the USA, Diamond Racings rep Scrunch won’t be left out of many calculations.
Southern Inspired Strike Force
Regan Todd isn’t scared to take on the big boys these days. He teams up with Southern strike-rate rein-man Craig Ferguson with unbeaten Third Party for most of the connections of their Superstar pacer Marketplace.
At or near the top of most selection panels will be Tact Teva.
The slow-burn Southland-bred pacer, brimming with potential, might even start as favourite from the premiership-leading stables of Steve and Amanda Telfer.
Blast from the Past
Remember when Colin De Filippi and Mark Jones had that ding-dong battle for the New Zealand Drivers Premiership?
Try 2006—eventually won by ‘Cee Jay’ with 121 wins from ‘Fig’ on 115.
Time Warp to today, and both have prospects they’ve produced as trainers:
But Wait!
You can even bet on red!
Artful Bromac is outta da House and does bring a game—especially from Barrier 2.
Michael and Wilson House have never been scared to run the big races with their Bob McArdle-bred son of Art Major who’s already fronted in the Sires Stakes and Southern Supremacy Finals in his short career.
Martin Pierson:
“This will be a good race, I’m sure. Hopefully as close and exciting as the Harness 7000 was last month which for me has been a highlight of our stakes racing spring so far. Then it’s Labour Day as next stop for the Sires’ Stakes horses. Ashburton is turning into such an excellent event race day it might be worth trying to get the Sophomore Classic back there. We’ll see.”
