Horseracing in New Zealand - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Horseracing in New Zealand consists of two forms: Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

and Standardbred or harness

Harness racing in New Zealand

Harness racing in New Zealand is more often called trotting in the "old school" rather than the more fashionable name of "harness racing". The sport is long standing with events being held as early as 1864...

racing. Harness racing is often called "trotting" in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

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Notable Thoroughbred racehorses from New Zealand include Carbine

Carbine (horse)

Carbine , was an outstanding New Zealand bred Thoroughbred racehorse, who competed in New Zealand and later Australia. During his racing career he won 30 stakes or principal races...

, Phar Lap

Phar Lap

Phar Lap was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse whose achievements captured the public's imagination during the early years of the Great Depression. Foaled in New Zealand, he was trained and raced in Australia. Phar Lap dominated Australian racing during a distinguished career, winning a Melbourne...

, Nightmarch

Nightmarch

Nightmarch, foaled in 1925 was an outstanding New Zealand bred Thoroughbred racehorse known as The Kiwi. He won the New Zealand Derby and Dunedin Cup as a three-year-old before going to Australia where he became the first horse to win both the Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate in the same year, as well...

, Il Tempo

Il Tempo (horse)

Il Tempo was a champion New Zealand thoroughbred racehorse, by Time and Again out of Timing. He is probably New Zealand's greatest ever stayer, having won the Auckland Cup two times, and also the Wellington Cup once...

, Sunline

Sunline

Sunline was a New Zealand bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was the world's highest earning racemare of her time, competing on 48 occasions for 32 wins, 9 seconds and 3 thirds to earn A$11,351,607. She won races in three different countries, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. She won successive...

, Grey Way

Grey Way

Grey Way, the Washdyke Wonder was a champion New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse. He was born in Washkdyke in 1970 near Timaru by Grey William out of Waybrooke. The other racehorse born in this area is Phar Lap....

, Desert Gold

Desert Gold

Desert Gold was a famous and successful New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse who raced at the time of World War I. She raced in Australia and New Zealand, winning 36 races, including a still-standing record of 19 in succession ....

, Tulloch

Tulloch (horse)

Tulloch was a Thoroughbred racehorse, who is regarded as one of the three finest racehorses in Australian racing history...

and Rising Fast

Rising Fast

Rising Fast was an outstanding New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. In 1954 he became the only horse in history to win the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate races in the same season - the Spring Grand Slam - and since that time no Melbourne Cup winner has performed such a feat...

. The top Standardbred horses were Cardigan Bay

Cardigan Bay (horse)

Cardigan Bay was a New Zealand Harness racing horse foaled 1 September 1956. Affectionately known as "Cardy", he was the first Standardbred to win US$1 million in prize money in North America. He was the ninth horse worldwide to win one million dollars,...

, Robalan

Robalan

Robalan was a champion New Zealand pacer Standardbred horse, known as "Robbers". He is notable in that he won two NZ Trotting Cup races, the richest harness race in New Zealand, for his epic contests with champion pacer Young Quinn who he more than often beat and is particularly well remembered for...

and Young Quinn

Young Quinn

Young Quinn a New Zealand standardbred racehorse was successful in period where his competition in the sport of trotting was particularly strong. Foaled in 1969, he was by Young Charles out of Loyal Trick by Hal Tryax . Named after Brian "Snow" Quinn a champion New Zealand sheep shearer, he was...

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The most famous New Zealand

New Zealand

Standardbred is the pacer Cardigan Bay. Stanley Dancer

Stanley Dancer

Stanley Franklin Dancer was an American harness racing driver and trainer. He was the only horsemen to drive and train three Triple Crowns in horse racing. In total, he drove 23 Triple Crown winners. He was the first trainer to campaign a horse to $1 million in a career, Cardigan Bay in 1968 and...

drove Cardigan Bay

Cardigan Bay (horse)

to $1 million in winnings in 1968, the first harness horse to surpass that milestone in American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

history. Dancer and Cardigan Bay appeared together on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....

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See also