August 2026 Monthly Update

Harness Racing Victoria will host its annual industry presentation from 5pm on Monday, 31 August, at Bendigo Harness Racing Club.
The presentation will provide an overview of HRV’s FY26 performance, including financial results and key industry indicators, as well as outlining FY27 forecasts and strategic priorities for the year ahead.
HRV Chief Executive Officer Matt Isaacs said the presentation was an important opportunity to bring the industry together, share key performance information and outline the organisation’s priorities for the year ahead.
“The presentation will provide a clear update on HRV’s performance and outlook, and reflect the work undertaken across the industry to improve sustainability,” Isaacs said.
The event has been scheduled on a race-free day to provide as many industry participants as possible the opportunity to attend in person. For those unable to be at Bendigo, HRV will livestream the presentation at thetrots.com.au.
HRV encourages participants, clubs and stakeholders to attend or tune in as the industry reflects on the past year and looks ahead to its next phase.

A trip to one of the world’s biggest and most iconic trotting races is back on the radar for champion Victorian mare Keayang Zahara.

While co-trainer Marg Lee earlier this year ruled out ever chasing the famed Elitlopp in Sweden, her son and co-trainer Paddy Lee revealed it was back on the table.

“Things have changed and Marg has to reconsider a few things, including Sweden,” he said.

“Losing the ($NZ600,000) Cambridge slot race and hearing the big ($500,000) bonus for the big Victorian trotting races in summer won’t be back means the money she can race for here isn’t anywhere near as much as it was earlier this year.

“It’s still a long way off, but it’s back as something we’ve got to seriously consider.”

The Elitlopp, which consists of two heats into a final on the same day, carried prize money of over $A1.5 million this year.
Next year’s Elitlopp is scheduled for May 30.

“Everyone I’ve spoken to about the race (Elitlopp) says your horse has to be in its absolute prime if you’re going to have a crack at it. They’re just so good those top European and US trotters who run in it,” Lee said.
“She’s had a good grounding now and some more big races coming, including NZ in November, it’ll give her even more experience.”

The Victorian Harness Racing Hall of Fame will induct its second tranche of immortal families at its dinner this Saturday night, when the Clarke, Mahar and Simons families will be celebrated.
The Hall of Fame committee introduced the Families category last year, when the Gaths, Rothackers and Shinns were the first famed surnames to be honoured.
The elite company will swell to six next week with the new additions, who will be celebrated at the Melton presentation dinner along with the elevation of a Hall of Fame Legend and the induction of six new horses, participants or associates.
Harness Racing Victoria Chair Bernard Saundry welcomed the committee’s recommendations.
“Families are at the heart of harness racing in Victoria and the Clarke, Mahar and Simons families have been synonymous with the sport for generations,” Saundry said.
“I look forward to celebrating with those families on the Hall of Fame night, one of the best occasions on our calendar.”

Mick Stanley is back “home” with 15 of his best horses chasing a string of feature Victorian races over the next two months.
Stanley made his mark in the sport in Victoria but started a gradual move from Burrumbeet near Ballarat to the Menangle training complex just over 12 months ago.
It’s been an inspired move with the stable enjoying a huge 12 months.
Much of it kick-started with last November’s Vicbred series at Melton when Stanley had a win (Soho Trump), a second (Soho Americano) and two thirds (Soho Park Avenue and Coastal Drive) across the four pacing finals.
The Vicbred series has moved forward this year and starts with the heats for the three-year-old pacers (colts and geldings, along with fillies) on Thursday night.
“It was a terrific series for us last year and we’re back to give it another crack with some of the horses from last year and some new ‘babies’ (two-year-olds) as well,” Stanley said.
“It’s great to have our Victorian farm (Burrumbeet) just sitting there ready to go and be able to move in with 15 horses like we have this week.
“It’ll be an extended stay here because after the Vicbred we’ve got the Victoria Derby and Oaks as well. I’ll move between here (Burrumbeet) and Sydney because we’ve still got 10 in work up there, too.”
Stanley has six runners in the Vicbred heats at Kilmore and will have another five in the two-year-old heats at Melton on Friday night.

Successful in their co-features at Melton, Cardigan Sniper and La Cantatrice will continue to follow similar paths in coming weeks.
A member of the all-conquering Emma Stewart stable, Cardigan Sniper continued his impeccable record by capturing the Youthful Stakes for the two-year-old colts and geldings.
With Mark Pitt in the cart, the son of Ultimate Sniper rated 1:56.1 over 2240 metres to stretch his tally to four wins from five starts.
Set to enjoy “a few easy days”, Cardigan Sniper will then be aimed at the Vicbred Super Series, which begins with heats in Melton on August 28.

It will be a super September for Victorian owners, with $825,000 to be won in Vicbred Vouchers next month.

The $2.75 million ownership and breeding incentive scheme goes into overdrive, including rich bonuses throughout the Vicbred Super Series and additional races for Vicbred Vouchers.

A further 20 vouchers have been brought forward from November to September to enable owners and breeders to secure their winnings earlier and take advantage of breeding and buying opportunities. To see the 20 races, scroll down to the Racing Office information below.

They will be part of 165 vouchers distributed in September, including 125 across Vicbred Super Series races and the 20 already planned for the month.

The Vicbred Vouchers ownership and breeding incentive awards $5000 vouchers on select races, thanks to the State Government’s Victorian Racing Industry Fund. The $5000 vouchers can be used towards:

Breeders also get a direct boost, with the Vicbred Super Series heats, semi-finals, finals, and consolations awarding $5000 vouchers to the winning breeder as well as $5000 vouchers to the winning owner.

For more information about Vicbred, CLICK HERE.

The Victorian Parliament this week passed legislation to transition Harness Racing Victoria from a statutory authority to a public company limited by guarantee.
The Bill, which will now be presented to the Governor of Victoria for Royal Assent, will move HRV and Greyhound Racing Victoria out of the public sector, with the Minister for Racing, Anthony Carbines, to certify the transition by 1 July 2028.
HRV CEO Matt Isaacs said HRV would work with the government to appropriately transition to the new entity.
“For participants and fans of harness racing, there will be no immediate change, but we will use the opportunity to strengthen HRV’s long-term sustainability, including by supporting faster decision making, better asset utilisation, and greater regulatory and commercial flexibility.”
The legislation also incorporates the Office of the Racing Integrity Commissioner into the new Racing Integrity Commission Victoria, which also takes on the functions of the Victorian Racing Integrity Board.

He is an Aussie, but we’ve hardly seen him race here.
All that’s about to change in the next few months for arguably the best young trotter in this part of the world, Kyvalley Ray.
Trainer Brent Lilley said the three-year-old, who boasts eight wins from just 12 starts and five of them in major races, was “coming up great” and would be back racing late next month.
“I couldn’t be happier with him. He’s about two weeks off a trial. He’ll have a second trial and then go straight into the heats of the Need For Speed series on September 25,” he said.
The Kiwi-bred Kyvalley Ray started his career in Australia with four starts netting two wins, but gelding him transformed the horse and he went on a rampage in NZ, winning six of his eight starts across two campaigns.
He was the standout trotter in NZ at two and three.
When Kyvalley Ray returns for the Need For Speed heats, it will be his first start in Australia for 13 months.
But there are plenty more in store.
“After the Need For Speed final, he’s got the heats and final of the Victoria Derby and maybe the Breeders Crown in December, too,” Lilley said.

With almost 4500 wins in the sulky beside her name, champion reinswoman Kerryn Manning is more qualified than most in assessing the merits of an emerging star on the racetrack.
So, it’s worth noting Manning’s reaction after she was the pilot in Fighter Command’s dominant win in the Swift Signs Free For All at Melton on Saturday night.
The lightly-raced Jess Tubbs-trained five-year-old gathered up his rivals in a few strides when asked to extend by Manning around the home turn and arrogantly put a nine-metre margin on a gallant Catch A Wave on the line in a mile rate of 1:52.0.
Manning, who was having her first drive on Fighter Command, was effusive in her praise after the race.
“It’s nice to drive a horse like him. I haven’t driven one with a motor that feels that big for quite a while,” Manning said.
“He doesn’t even feel like he accelerates, he just gets past everybody like they are standing still. And to run past those horses of that calibre tonight is a bit scary.”

Foal notification results for the 25/26 breeding season opened via Harnessweb on August 1. Please ensure that all live foal notifications are completed within three weeks and non-live results processed as soon as the result is confirmed.

To contact the Racing office, call 03 8378 0291 from 7.30 am-3.30 pm on weekdays or 8-9 am on weekends and public holidays, or email racing@hrv.org.au. For late scratchings or driver changes out of hours, leave a message on 03 9214 0650.