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Addington will race twice a week on Fridays and Sundays under the draft calendar released for the rest of the season.

Addington harness big winner in post lockdown dates, securing Fridays and Sundays

Addington has been the big winner in harness racing, securing the lucrative Friday spots for its meetings until the end of the season.

The draft calendar released for consultation by the Racing Industry Transition Agency today has Addington securing four Friday day meetings in June.

In July it keeps all the Friday meetings for night cards, starting at 5.30pm.

Addington will race twice a week, also getting seven Sunday slots through June and July.

Auckland and Cambridge will alternate on Thursday nights through June and then their meetings move to Wednesday night slots in July. The Thursday harness spot is taken over by Invercargill day meetings which move from Saturdays when gallops meetings resume.

Thoroughbred racing starts in the north on July 3, with racing alternating on Saturdays between Te Rapa and Pukekohe in the north, and Awapuni and Riccarton.

Friday meetings will be held at Riccarton, Wanganui, Southland and Awapuni through July.

Dates for gallops and harness meetings are:

May

June

July

Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them

Nathan Delany

Nathan’s comments

Tuesday twilight at Manawatu

Race 4: Leo Lincoln
5.44pm

“Fergie’s drive on Sunday was perfect, you couldn’t ask for better, and he said the horse was doing his best work in the last 50 metres. Maybe with another 100 metres he might have got there. His gate speed is only OK so I can see him getting crossed here.”

Race 5: Kevin Kline
6.19pm

“Fergie said he did it easily on the first day, and the horse only did what he had to. He’s been racing much nicer horses at Auckland so it was good to get the win, hopefully it will boost his confidence. I’ll leave the tactics up to Fergie but I imagine he’ll probably do the same thing again, loop the field and outstay them.”

Race 6: Onyx Shard
6.54pm

“I was hoping she’d drop down a grade. She’s had some tough trips recently, having to do a lot of work, and it didn’t help being three wide for the last lap on the first day. Also they only walked and sprinted home. She could be better coming with one run at them.”

Ray Green

Ray’s comments

Friday night at Cambridge

Race 2: Lincoln Lover
5.33pm

“He had no chance last start when trapped three wide all the way. That won’t happen this time from the inside draw so that gives him a chance to get some of it.”

Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.33pm

“He’s shown no gate speed so the wide draw doesn’t matter. He’s coming along all right but will need lots of luck against the hot pots.”

Race 5: Debbie Lincoln
6.54pm

“She seems to have overcome her tying-up issue, her bloods are good, and she’s training well again. She could possibly be underdone and the seven draw makes it very hard.”

Race 6: Lincoln Lou
7.20pm

Scratched. Sold to Western Australia.

Race Images - Harness