The most amazing training year in the history of New Zealand harness racing has ended as it should, with an exclamation mark from our greatest stable ever.

If Allan Sharrock is right - and he almost certainly is - then how can they stop Kawi creating history by winning the last two legs of the Hastings spring treble?

James Bartholomew Cummings died in Sydney in the early hours of yesterday morning and he is a hard act to follow.

As if Kieran Read's day couldn't get any better.

Australia's greatest ever racehorse trainer Bart Cummings has died at the age of 87 in Sydney.

Paul Nairn's confidence heading into the Breeders Crown has been boosted by a stunning private workout from Conon Bridge far more than the colt's previous huge wins.

The metal-lined container about the breadth and width of your laptop in the corner of the horse box is New Plymouth trainer Allan Sharrock's gauge to the chances of Kawi in Saturday's $200,000 Makfi Challenge at Hastings.

Few things in horse racing are more important than history.

A winning double at Moonee Valley has Victorian horseman David Hayes optimistic heading into the spring.

A move away from preparing a team of mostly jumpers has given mother-daughter training partners Lyn Tolson and Leonie Proctor a stakes win at Moonee Valley.

Big name Kiwi pacing stars all produced the goods in their Crown semifinals at Ballarat on Saturday night.

Mark Brooks is looking forward to going the extra mile with Jack Romanov when they return to Auckland in a fortnight for their season's goal.

There are few better racecourse sights than a top-class steeplechase on a fine day at Ellerslie when the best are out on the track.

It's very rare, away from group racing, that you see absolute class at this time of year when tracks are still wet.

A strong performance at Cambridge tonight could promote Cyclone Chief to being the dark horse of the Kiwi assault on the Breeders Crown.

A staggering 50 per cent of New Zealand's champion racehorse Mongolian Khan is being offered for public consumption.

Even with a slight question mark over his head regarding the Te Rapa track conditions, Private Hero (No3, R5) appeals as a real prospect this afternoon.

With history and weight against Golden Slipper winner Vancouver in the San Domenico Stakes, the Gai Waterhouse stable has two ready-made excuses.

The next 24 hours is likely to tell us whether we will see star galloper Volkstok'n'barrell in New Zealand this preparation.

Harness racing clubs are facing major changes under a radical new plan to reduce industry costs.

Sydney trainer Sam Kavanagh says he was ambushed when his father and a senior Australian Turf Club official met him at a Sydney hotel to get him to change his evidence to Racing NSW stewards.

Former Cambridge trainer Bjorn Baker didn't celebrate Burbero's run-of-the-day A$175,000 Missile Stakes victory at Randwick on Saturday night.

The silent hero behind superstar pacer Christen Me enjoyed a rare public outing with him yesterday and Murray Howard liked what he felt.

If Brian Anderton's heart could survive the white hot tension of winning Saturday's $75,000 Grand National he will live to be 100.

Harness racing's grand old man Charles Roberts doesn't get on planes often these days - he picked the right day to make an exception on Saturday.

High Forty completed a winter of content for trainers Brian and Shane Anderton when he crowned a wonderful jumping season with a runaway Grand National Steeplechase victory at Riccarton.

Our Gazza took full advantage of an easing of the Riccarton track to provide one of his part-owners with a timely victory.