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Chokin
Chokin is a New Zealand Standardbred racehorse who was notable in winning the New Zealand Trotting Cup, which is New Zealand's most prestigious horse race. Chokin is also one of the few horses to have won Harold Park Paceway's prestigious Miracle Mile Pace twice. During his 2-year-old season in 1990/91 Chokin was sold to the Pacers Australia syndicate for about $200,000 and changed trainer from Brian Hughes to Roy and Barry Purdon.Death of an Icon
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He had won 4 of 5 races before the sale. For his new owners he won the Sires Stakes Final by 4 ½ lengths in 1:56.5 which was a national record for his age. He also won the Two Year Old Championship over 2200 metres by 3 ½ lengths, again in national record time despite a rain affected track. He won 7 of 8 starts in his ...
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Harness Racing In New Zealand
Harness racing in New Zealand is primarily a professional sport which involves pacing and trotting competitions for Standardbred racehorses. The difference is the horse's gait or running style: * pacing is where the two legs on the same side of the horse move forward at the same time, and * trotting is where the horse moves its two diagonally opposite legs forward at the same time. In New Zealand the majority of standardbred races are for pacers and the most lucrative races are in that gait. Pacers are generally faster than trotters. However, harness racing is still often called trotting as that was the sport's traditional name. History Trotting races were held as part of the programme of some of the galloping meetings in the Otago Southland area as early as 1864. The first totalisators were introduced about this time. They faced opposition from a curious alliance of bookmakers and anti-gambling factions but were approved by the Clubs and licensed by the Colonial Secretary. ...
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Miracle Mile Pace
The Miracle Mile is an Australian harness racing event for Standardbred pacers that was held at Harold Park Racetrack each November until 2008 when the race was switched to Menangle Park Paceway. Prize money has long been among that of Australia's leading harness races and has often included bonuses for speed. History The race was held twice in 1986 due to a change of dates from January to November/December, and again in 1996 due to the postponement of the 1995 race caused by track redesign and construction. When the new track opened in 1996 the race distance was changed from one mile (1609m) to 1760m. The 2007 running was abandoned due to the Equine Influenza outbreak. The 2012 race was also delayed until April 2013 due to renovations. Since 2009, the race has been run at Menangle Park, once again at the metric mile distance. The 1400m track length and improved design allowed for faster times. The first winner at the new circuit was New Zealander Monkey King in a track record ...
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New Zealand Trotting Cup
The New Zealand Cup for standardbred horses, also known as either the New Zealand Trotting Cup or the New Zealand Pacing Cup is a Group One (G1) harness race held annually by the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club at Addington Raceway in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is generally considered the country's most prestigious harness racing event. The race is held during Show Week on the second Tuesday in November, three days before the Show Day public holiday. The New Zealand Free For All is held on Show Day. The public holiday in Christchurch is the observance of the Canterbury Anniversary Holiday (16 December in reality). The race meeting, along with the New Zealand Cup for thoroughbreds and greyhounds, forms part of Canterbury's carnival week, along with the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Show. Until 1999, the A&P show was held at showgrounds adjacent to Addington Raceway. The New Zealand Trotting cup is considered as Canterbury's biggest day on its social calend ...
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Christopher Vance
Christopher Vance (5 November 1986 – 13 December 2016) was a Group One-winning New Zealand Standardbred racehorse, trained by Roy and Barry Purdon and generally driven by Barry Purdon or Tony Herlihy. He was the 1991–92 New Zealand Horse of the Year after winning both the major New Zealand races, the New Zealand Cup and Auckland Cup, as well as the Miracle Mile Pace at Harold Park in Australia. Christopher Vance was not as dominant in the following seasons but remained competitive against top class opposition such as Blossom Lady, Master Musician, Jack Morris and Chokin. During his retirement years, Christopher Vance lived at Cambridge Stud, where he was a companion to the champion thoroughbred Rough Habit. The two were buried next to each other, Christopher Vance dying a month past his 30th birthday. Racing record During his career, Christopher Vance won or was placed in the following major races in New Zealand and Australia: * 1st - 1990 Great Northern Derby beating Ma ...
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New Zealand Horse Of The Year
There is a New Zealand horse of the year in each of the racing codes: - Standardbred or harness racing, either pacers or trotters, and - Thoroughbred racing or gallopers. Harness Horse of the Year The New Zealand Harness Horse of the Year award is awarded to the Standardbred horse who is voted to be the champion horse within a New Zealand racing season. This award is open to all racehorses racing within New Zealand, regardless of age and sex. Overseas performances are now included. Thoroughbred Racehorse of the Year The New Zealand Champion Racehorse of the Year is awarded to the Thoroughbred horse who is voted to be the best racehorse within a New Zealand racing season. This award is open to all racehorses racing within New Zealand, regardless of age and sex. Overseas performances are now included. See also * Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand * Harness racing in New Zealand * New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame * New Zealand Trotting Hall of Fame The New Zealand Trotting ...
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Victoria Cup (harness Race)
The Victoria Cup is the premier middle distance harness race of Australia. Conducted over 2575m, rather than the staying distance of over 3000m or the sprint distance of under 2000m, the Victoria Cup was run at the Melbourne Showgrounds up until 1975, when it was shifted to Moonee Valley. In 2009 the SEW Eurodrive Victoria Cup will be run at Harness Racing Victoria's new venue, Tabcorp Park at Melton. The race has been part of the Australasian Grand Circuit since 1987. Conducted in February from 1987 to 2003, the race is now conducted over two nights in December, alongside the Australasian Trotting Grand Prix. The race record of 1.56.7 was set by Chokin (NZ) in 1994 when the race was run over 2380m. The race shifted to 2570m or 2575m due to a track upgrade. Double Identity in December 2003 held the record of a mile rate of 1.57.2 over the 2575m trip until Melpark Major's track record breaking performance of 1:55.8 in the 2008 event. Race Winners * 1974 - King's Mead (Stand ...
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Auckland Pacing Cup
The Auckland Pacing Cup which is sometimes referred to as the Auckland Trotting Cup or merely the Auckland Cup is a race held at Alexandra Park in Auckland, New Zealand for Standardbred horses. It is one of the two major harness races, along with the New Zealand Cup, held in New Zealand each year for the highest grade (Open class) pacers. It is a Group 1 championship race and has been won by many of the champion pacers in New Zealand. Cup History For most of its history the Auckland Cup has been raced in December, however at times it has been moved to other calendar dates such as: * March, from 2006 until 2015, when it formed part of Auckland Cup Week, a carnival which includes feature Thoroughbred and greyhound racing. As well as the March 2015 race (won by Christen Me) there was a second 2015 Auckland Cup raced in December (Have Faith In Me). Neither Christen Me or Have Faith In Me competed in the other race that year. * January, in 1987 when won by Master Mood over 2,700m. In ...
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New Zealand Messenger
The New Zealand Messenger Championship is a Group One event for standardbred pacing horses in New Zealand, run at Alexandra Park. Race scheduling In recent years the race has been held in late April or early May. It was previously raced on the same race-night as the Rowe Cup and Northern Trotting Derby for trotters and the New Zealand Sires Stakes Championship. The New Zealand Messenger Championship had traditionally been restricted to 4 year-old horses and was the most prestigious race for that age group in New Zealand, and a key guide to feature races in the following season like the New Zealand Trotting Cup and Auckland Cup. This is evidenced by New Zealand Messenger Championship winners and subsequent Cup victors such as: * Lazarus * Auckland Reactor * Monkey King * Mainland Banner * Elsu * Just An Excuse. For the 2013, 2014 and 2015 years 5 year olds were also eligible to compete in the race. However, from 2016 it reverted to 4 year olds only. However, in 2022 the Ne ...
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New Zealand Free For All
The New Zealand Pacing Free For All is a major New Zealand harness race. It is notable as it is a Group One championship sprint race and has been won by nearly every champion pacer in New Zealand. History of the race Horses which have won the Free-for-all include hall of famers and champions who later shone in the United States and Canada like Cardigan Bay and Caduceus. The latter who won the Free For All three times. The race has also been won three times by Robalan, Harold Logan, Lordship and Author Dillon.New Zealand Free for All
Between 1942 and 1948 the race was renamed the New Zealand Pacing Sprint Championship. The race is contested at Addington Raceway on the Canterbury Anniversary publ ...
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New Zealand Sires Stakes 3yo Final
The New Zealand Sires Stakes 3yo Final is an event for 3-year-old pacing horses in New Zealand.Race Winners
The race is one of the major harness races in and is contested by the top three-year-old horses, who have to qualify in heats run throughout New Zealand in the preceding six weeks. Until 2021 it was run on the same day as the .


Records

Most wins by a driver: * 6 -

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Harold Park Paceway
Harold Park Paceway was a harness racing track in Forest Lodge, New South Wales, in use from 1890 to 2010. It was a half-mile track (804.5 metres) but was just 739 metres in circumference until some changes in its later years. Races at the track were run over distances of 1,760m, 2,160m, 2,565m and occasionally 2,965m. Before its configuration, events were run over one mile, 9 furlongs and 170 yards, 11 and three quarter furlongs, 13 furlongs and 98 yards and 15 furlongs and 92 yards - these distances were all for standing starts. For mobile racing, the distances were one mile, 9 and a half furlongs and 11 and a half furlongs. History Founded in 1890, the course was first known as Forest Lodge, and for the first meeting there were five events with total prize money of ninety-nine sovereigns. Just prior to the turn of the 20th century, and before meetings commenced at Forest Lodge, trotting and pacing was confined primarily to match races between enthusiasts without any se ...
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New Zealand Messenger Championship
The New Zealand Messenger Championship is a Group One event for standardbred pacing horses in New Zealand, run at Alexandra Park. Race scheduling In recent years the race has been held in late April or early May. It was previously raced on the same race-night as the Rowe Cup and Northern Trotting Derby for trotters and the New Zealand Sires Stakes Championship. The New Zealand Messenger Championship had traditionally been restricted to 4 year-old horses and was the most prestigious race for that age group in New Zealand, and a key guide to feature races in the following season like the New Zealand Trotting Cup and Auckland Cup. This is evidenced by New Zealand Messenger Championship winners and subsequent Cup victors such as: * Lazarus * Auckland Reactor * Monkey King * Mainland Banner * Elsu * Just An Excuse. For the 2013, 2014 and 2015 years 5 year olds were also eligible to compete in the race. However, from 2016 it reverted to 4 year olds only. However, in 2022 the ...
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