Hatrick & Manukau tracks wrap up their season
Peter Fenemor • July 25th, 2025 12:35 PM • 4 min read
Chasing action at the Hatrick Raceway and the Manukau Stadium wraps up racing for the 2024/25 season at both venues this weekend.
The nation’s leading conditioner Lisa Cole heads into this evening’s meeting in the River City with 759 winners and $3,072,015 in stake earnings for the current season.
As usual the Palmerston North based kennels has a huge team engaged, including four of the five runners remaining in the open class Sportz Bar Wanganui 520m event (Race 8).
Big Time Brave ($1.55 & $1.02 – TAB Fixed) has enjoyed a successful season, winning 14 races. He led kennelmate Big Time Maestro ($3.20 & $1.09) all-the-way when clocking the meet best 30.11 520m time for his quarter length win last Friday.
This pair can again provide the quinella this evening, although looking to gatecrash the Cole runners is the Suzie Kite prepared Rock It Rapper ($7 & $1.30). He endured a luckless 520m race last Friday, however he brings the field best 29.76 winning 520m time into this event.
Big Time Lime ($1.80 & $1.10) leads the six-dog Cole charge into the Jolt Coffee House Wanganui open class 305m sprint (Race 5). The holder of the field best 17.31 305m time can reverse last Friday’s 305m 2.40 length defeat by kennelmate Big Time Mahi ($6 & $1.65) in this dash.
Big Time Mahi swooped on her rivals from trap-eight when delivering her 17.62 Friday win and she is presented with swooping claims again from the same trap.
Laddu Rose ($9.50 & $2.15) will enjoy sprinting from trap-two with the Marcie Flipp trained sprinter having compiled solid stats while wearing the checks rug, which includes four wins.
Looming as potentially the best value runner on the card from the Cole team is Big Time Favour ($7 & $1.75). The noted railer is likely to relish racing from the two-trap in the Moore Law Whanganui C3/4 520m (Race 4) event. She was the runner-up in this seasons New Zealand Oaks final at the Addington Raceway.
Yes, Big Time Brave has to contend with her inform Group 1 winning kennelmate Fear To Tread ($1.75 & $1.08) in this race. She is in solid current form as seen by her strong Tuesday 25.94 Manawatu 457m win, which provides her with a bonus C4 race this evening.
Pawnote: The Wanganui GRC will host a 12 race Straight Track card at the Wanganui Racecourse on Tuesday afternoon.
Craik sisters on a hot current streak
The Dury based sisters Lisa and Tracey Craik are enjoying a current outstanding run of winning form with members of their exciting young Good Odds Harda and Danish Delight litter.
Seven of the eight litter members have raced, winning an impressive 18 races between them since their June race debuts for their owning Katcha Jordana syndicate.
Three of them, Altruism, Honcho and Best Bet Benny all won races during yesterday’s Cambridge meeting.
On Sunday Altruism (Race 2), Best Bet Benny (Race 4) and Honcho (Race 5) all benefit from bonus races in their respective grades.
Others from the litter who will be sighted racing at Manukau includes Fritillary and Ineptitude, both in race 3, while race 5 will see Wu Tang and Honcho clashing. Wolfman Jack takes his place in race 6, while Cocoon The Food will line up in race 7.
The main Sunday 527m event is the $7,000 AGRC Board Cup where the Craik sisters, who start the meeting sitting on 164 winners for the season, hold a strong grip, also for the Katcha Jordana syndicate.
Turtle Watch stylishly prevailed in last Sunday’s 527m event when he led all-the-way for his 30.59 win, while kennelmate Schmeichel gamely chased him home 1.50 lengths behind.
The former dominant Manukau 318m sprinter Bright Star is remembered with the running of the $6,000 Bright Star NZ Bred Sprint (Race 11) over the 318m dash.
All except three of Bright Star’s 142 career races was at the Auckland headquarters track. All of her 73 race wins came over the Manukau 318m sprint for her late owner and trainer Bob Bond.
Again, the Craik sisters have sound looking prospect with Portland Nicky and Portland Jessie engaged.
Wild Pansy is always a leading chance from her eight-trap draw for Ross and Lynne Udy. Bright Star provided the inspiration for local trainer Sean Codlin to become involved in greyhound racing.
He attended Manukau as a spectator purely to watch Bright Star race. He caught the ‘greyhound bug’ and has since become a successful trainer himself. Codlin will hoping for a repeat win from his charge Opawa Vanessa in the Bright Star sprint following her 18.71 C4 318m win last Sunday.
