Southland Sport + Motorsport
Months of hard work and dedication to progress their horses will culminate at Sunday’s Diamonds Day meeting, which serve as southern harness racing’s day of championships.
Journalist Jonny Turner has followed the form of each Diamonds Day contender through the season and he gives his take who will be best placed when the big day arrives.
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Glittering Day Of Harness Racing At Ascot Park Raceway In Invercargill On Sunday
A huge day is ahead as the southern harness racing calendar reaches its peak on Sunday (27 April) with the glittering Diamonds Day, hosted by the Invercargill Harness Racing Club — an event which is the culmination of series finals and feature races on the southern calendar. The day brings together
Lindsay Beer
Betterthancash
The old saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” seems to apply perfectly to Betterthancash. The pacer has been brilliant in all his recent outings in the southern country cups, especially with his last-start win at Winton. Previously, Betterthancash had taken full advantage of starting from the front line, but he came off a handicap and did significant mid-race work in his big Winton Cup win. Though he again faces a handicap in the Southern Country Cups Final, 10m looks very workable for Betterthancash, who beat almost all of his key rivals in that last-start victory. All signs point to another strong effort from the four-year-old, and there seem to be even fewer reasons for punters to lose faith in him.
Seaside Rose
She’s been absolutely in the zone in her last two starts in Southland, and the timing of Diamonds Day 2025 couldn’t be better for her. Seaside Rose jogged to victory in the Southern Belle Speed Series Final at Winton last weekend, not appearing as though she ran a sharp time as she cruised clear of her rivals. The mare drops in grade on Sunday, and though she starts from a tough draw in barrier 8, she looks well capable of delivering a crushing victory. Secret Agent Man poses the clearest threat to the mare. He was just OK in his last start at Wyndham, but expect trainer Nathan Williamson to have the pacer finely tuned for a bigger Diamonds Day performance.
Jumal
How do they beat the red-hot favourite in Diamonds Day’s Group One feature? Given he’s comprehensively dealt to many of his rivals leading into Sunday’s clash, it’s a question with few strong answers. Jumal has looked explosive in his short career, and though Group One events are never easy to win, Sunday’s race appears to have come along at the perfect time for this youngster. He’s trained by a master in Steven Reid, who is rarely without a classy horse in his barn. An in-form Samantha Ottley takes the reins from barrier 6, which seems the only slight negative. However, in a field of just seven — with the scratching of D Mac, who has been sold to Perth interests — that draw doesn’t look like a massive hurdle to overcome.
Julie Jaccka
Winning her last two starts would ordinarily put Julie Jaccka in an awkward spot on Diamonds Day. But rather than copping the usual 14 rating points for those victories, the mare has only gone up three thanks to the junior concession of driver Dan Anderson. That puts Julie Jaccka on a very workable 10m handicap, where she looks ideally placed against horses she has mostly beaten in recent weeks. Usually beginning smartly and possessing a nice turn of foot, she must again rate a big winning threat if she can stay handy to the speed. Practical Magic — the often tipped and regularly beaten mare who has been written about extensively in this column — is the clear danger to the favourite. She again gets the advantage of the front line and could take some catching, especially if she can put a buffer between herself and Julie Jaccka.
Brewster Baker
It concerning enough that Brewster Baker doesn’t bring proven manners to today’s juvenile trotting feature. However, most of his rivals are in the same position, being baby squaregaiters. Brewster Baker produced a brilliant win in his last start, staging a big recovery from an early gallop at Addington. While he’s clearly risky, so too is his main rival and favourite, Who’s Ya Daddy, who broke and then recovered to run third in the same race. While early-season two-year-old trotting features are not for the faint-hearted, those who choose to play into the race can follow Brewster Baker, knowing he’s shown — on exposed form — that he’s the most talented horse in the field so far. It’s surprising he hasn’t been installed as the early favourite for the Entain Southern Classic, so he may offer more value on Sunday than he possibly will going forward.
Article by Jonny Turner. Originally published on Southern Harness Racing website.