January 2026 Monthly Update

Harness racing’s most successful partnership reignites this February when the sport’s talented reinswomen don their teal pants and resume the fight for ovarian and gynaecological cancer support and research.
Team Teal’s 12th anniversary will build on more than $3.4 million raised for the cause, which Bec Weeden, Head of Fundraising for ANZGOG WomenCan, said was “an incredible milestone … for women’s ovarian and gynaecological cancer research, education, and awareness.”
“Our long-standing partnership with Harness Racing Australia and New Zealand has not only raised vital funds but has played a critical role in increasing awareness and improving outcomes for women,” Weeden said.
“More than $3.4 million has been raised, directly supporting programs like Survivors Teaching Students, which has educated over 20,000 medical students and continues to reach more than 5,000 each year.”
Team Teal is driven by Victorian harness racing Hall of Fame inductee Duncan McPherson in honour of his late wife Lyn, with the movement originating in his home state and growing to representation across Australasia.
Victoria, which is rich with female participation, will again proudly lead the way, with Harness Racing Victoria announcing six talented female drivers as its 2026 ambassadors.
Ellen Tormey, who finished third in Victoria’s Garrards State Drivers Premiership last year with 127 wins, joins 2025 ambassadors Kerryn Manning, Kate Gath, Jackie Barker, Ewa Justice, and Jodi Quinlan.
The Team Teal troop will wear special ambassadorial silks in addition to the traditional teal pants throughout the fundraising period, which runs from February 1 to March 15 and includes the Team Teal Night at the Trots at Melton Entertainment Park on Saturday, February 28.
Coinciding with the Lyn McPherson Breed For Speed Series Finals, tickets are on sale for the night, which encompasses a three-course dinner, drinks, entertainment, guest speakers, and a chance to win an exclusive raffle and auction prizes.

We are three weeks into the Summer of Glory's six super Saturdays at six venues, which celebrates the very best of Victorian harness racing. The carnival brings nine unforgettable Group 1s between January 10 and February 14, drawing Australasia's best pacers and trotters.

The ageless Bulletproof Boy has put himself in the firing line to more than double his stake earnings by the end of the summer after successfully defending his Bendigo Cup crown.
Superlatives were flowing for the Scott Ewen trained 11-year-old and the steering prowess of leading reinsman James Herbertson after the race.
“Between him and James they’re both just freaks,” Ewen said.

Thanks to his impressive victory in the Shepparton Gold Cup, Kingman has become the second pacer eligible for Harness Racing Victoria’s mouth-watering $1 million bonus.
In what can only be described as a phenomenal promotion, HRV will pay the sum to any pacer, which captures four of the six specified cups, including the February 14 A G Hunter Cup.
Trained and driven by Luke McCarthy, Kingman led throughout from the pole to score by two-and-a-half metres from Leap To Fame, which trailed the pacemaker.

A track record performance from Leap To Fame sent a resounding reminder as to which pacer is the southern hemisphere’s premier standardbred.
With some doubters beginning to emerge following defeats behind ‘new kid on the block’ – Kingman – and his stablemate, Don Hugo, during the past three months, Leap To Fame made it clear he isn’t ready to relinquish the title with a scintillating Ballarat Cup triumph.

The three biggest stars of Australasian harness racing will clash for the first time in Saturday night’s $150,000 Group 1 Cranbourne Cup.
Queensland champion Leap To Fame is chasing his third successive win in the feature, but will have to contend with NZ and Victoria Cup hero Kingman and reigning Hunter Cup winner Swayzee in what should be a gruelling 2555m battle.
Between the trio, they boast 110 wins and almost $8.3m in prizemoney.

It would appear only an upset of mammoth proportions will deny the connections of Keayang Zahara from pocketing the $500,000 Summer Of Glory trotting bonus.
The best trotter in this part of the world thrilled the large Ballarat Cup night crowd when she outclassed her rivals in the Group 2 Ballarat Trotters Cup to record her 22nd win from 23 career starts.
Keayang Zahara left the opposition standing as she backed up a 27.7 back straight quarter with a 26.9 last 400 metres in establishing a track record mile rate of 1:56.8 for the 2200-metre journey.
“We were humming,” driver Jason Lee said after the race.

Nominations are open for the Gordon Rothacker Medal and Lang Distinguished Service Medals, harness racing in Victoria’s most celebrated awards that honour service and excellence.
The recipients, one of whom will be the 26th Gordon Rothacker Medalist, will be announced at the 2025 Victorian Harness Racing Awards Night at Melton Entertainment Park on Sunday, March 22 (SAVE THE DATE!).
Country clubs, kindred bodies, industry participants, and individuals are all encouraged to nominate someone who has shone in the following criteria, which a selection panel will review to choose the next medalists:

To nominate someone, please email their name along with a summary addressing the above criteria to mhoward@hrv.org.au by noon on Thursday, February 12.

Ballarat breeders Steve and Chelsea Dickson have pledged five per cent of the proceeds from the sale of their filly at APG's upcoming Melbourne Yearling Sale on February 15 to support research into treatments and ultimately a cure for Friedreich Ataxia, a cause deeply personal to their family.
Affecting one in every 30,000 Australians, Friedreich Ataxia is a genetic neuro-muscular disorder that robs children and adults of their mobility. It causes progressive damage to the nervous system, leading to muscle weakness, co-ordination loss, speech issues and heart disease. The research is being conducted by the Melbourne-based not-for-profit organisation FARA (Friedreich Ataxia Research Association).
The filly, nicknamed ‘Clover’, is Lot 176 in the catalogue. She’s a daughter of the Breeders Crown and North America Cup winner Pebble Beach and the Rock N Roll Heaven mare Heavenly Scent, whose first two foals in Celestialfragrance and Melfield Soryt are both sub 1:57 winners.
Heavenly Scent, who was only lightly raced, is a half-sister to eight winners, including the multiple Queensland classics winner Miss Moneybags, and belongs to a very strong branch of the prized Ar Miss family.
“She’s a beautifully put together filly, athletic with a little bit of spirit,” Steve said. “We are going to paint one of the filly’s hooves in the foundation’s colours of blue, orange and pink to help raise awareness of the disease.”

Ninety-eight-year-old Shepparton breeder Helen Head is living proof that age is just a number.
A mainstay of the Victorian yearling sales since 1990, Helen and her late husband Graham established Grenada Park Standardbreds in 1974 with their foundation mare being the New Zealand-bred Madame Han.
Since then, Grenada Park has been the birthplace of countless Group and classic winners, including the Victorian ‘Cups King’ Safari, the Derby winners Garnet River, Astronaut, and Lively Exit, the 2YO Colt of the Year The Storm Inside, the Oaks winner Indigenous, the Vicbred champions Tell Me Tales and Our Maid Marianne, and many more.
Among the recent winners bred and sold by Helen are Wicked Mitzi and the metropolitan winners Vintage Blu, Letsgetrowdy, and Impermissible.
In all, 33 of the Head breed have amassed more than $100,000 in stake earnings, with 34 in the 2:00 list and two inside 1:50.
The Head couple were recognised for their achievements in the sport with the Harness Breeders Victoria Breeders of the Year award in 2007.
Helen will be represented by two fillies, both from the same family, at APG's upcoming Melbourne Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction on Sunday, February 15.

The spread of Vicbred Voucher winners has swelled significantly in the wake of November's APG Vicbred Super Series, with winning owners of every heat, semi-final, final, and consolation race each receiving a $5000 voucher.

For a full list of Vicbred Voucher race dates CLICK HERE.

The premier NSW combination of Jason Grimson and Cam Hart is lethal when they raid Victoria.
They will launch their latest assault on a huge stage with three runners, headed by champion stayer Swayzee, in Saturday night’s stellar $150,000 Group 1 Cranbourne Cup (2555m).
Since joining Grimson’s stable, Swayzee has raced just twice in Victoria for wins in the state’s two biggest open-class races, the 2024 Group 1 Victoria Cup and last year’s Group 1 Hunter Cup. Hart drove him both times.
Such is the quality of this Cranbourne Cup, Swayzee is an easing $6.50 chance from a wide draw (gate seven). Kingman is $1.65 from the pole, and Leap To Fame is $2.40 from barrier four.
It’s the first time the superstar trio have clashed in the same race.

Always Treasure, a trotting mare owned by Cranbourne identity David Scott, provided one of the highlights of last week’s Victorian racing from a breeding standpoint when she produced two winners from as many starters in the space of 48 hours.
The seven-year-old Dona Amalia, Always Treasure’s first foal, came from near last to score at Bendigo on Wednesday night to post her ninth lifetime win, while her younger sibling Spirited Lass registered her sixth success at the Melton day meeting on Friday.
The Sundon mare is also the dam of Hurricane Katie, who won twice at Shepparton last year, and the three-year-old filly Morning Dove, a placegetter from only three attempts so far.
“She only had four foals for four to the races,” Scott, the president of the Cranbourne Harness Racing Club, said.

Another provincial cup, another victory for the Brent Lilley/Tristan Larsen combination…it almost seems that easy!
During the past 12 months, the duo has won an incredible nine trotters’ cups, including Sunday’s Wedderburn edition with Johns Boy, which came just a fortnight after they captured Echuca’s flagship event with El Conqueror.
The gelding’s triumph provided Lilley and Larsen with consecutive wins in the race, having also captured the 2025 edition with Johns Boy.
“He came to Brent’s last January and has done a top job,” Larsen said. “He’s also run a couple of seconds in cups, so with a touch of luck, his record would read even better.”

It is a tale of two different stories after a crucial Yabby Dam Farms Great Southern Star “trial” at Menangle.
Defending champion Watts Up Partytime, now back with his original trainer Rickie Alchin, booked his trip back to Victoria by winning the trial in a 1min55.4sec mile.
But boom French import Kristal Josselyn will need to impress Luke McCarthy in a second Menangle trial next week to take a shot at the $250,000 Group 1 Great Southern Star at Melton on February 14.
McCarthy was happy with the six-year-old’s first Aussie public appearance when second to Watts Up Partytime.
“But it showed he wasn’t quite as fit as I thought, so he’ll need another trial before he races,” he said. “He’ll go around again next week (at Menangle).”

Harness Racing Victoria has introduced restricted two-year-old races from February to create more opportunities for young horses.

When applying the same method last year, HRV’s Racing Department found that more two-year-old races received sufficient nominations when opportunities were condensed in the year’s early months.

HRV will once again program two-year-old races at central Victorian venues, where the category’s population is at its greatest, with pacing races to begin in February and trotting races in March.

Two-year-old races will be scheduled as follows:

Feb 4 @ Maryborough (pacers)

Feb 11 @ Maryborough (pacers)

Feb 25 @ Maryborough (pacers)

Mar 6 @ Melton (pacers and trotters)

Mar 16 @ Maryborough (pacers and trotters)

Mar 30 @ Maryborough (pacers and trotters)

Harness Racing Victoria will trial pacing claiming races from February to April to provide participants with alternative racing opportunities.

HRV's racing team will review stakeholder feedback and monitor nominations and acceptances to determine whether claiming races should be added to programs beyond that date.

Venues such as Maryborough, Kilmore and Mildura have been identified in the February programs, prioritising those with the highest horse populations.

The racing team will also review the concept and consider whether it should also be applied to trotters in the coming months.

Feb 4 @ Maryborough ($8000 claimer, 2100m, PBD/Claiming Price) $6000

Feb 12 @ Kilmore ($10,000 claimer, 1690m, PBD NR) $8000

Feb 18 @ Mildura ($6000 claimer, 2190m, PBD/NR) $4000

Feb 25 @ Maryborough ($6000 claimer, 1690m, PBD/Claiming Price) $4000

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. 

VICBRED: Final call for Vicbred acceptance/series payments to be actioned. This is required by February 2, 2026. Automatic cancellation will occur shortly after this date if fees are not paid. Should you still want to make your horse Vicbred eligible after this date, please call HRV Customer Service on 03 8378 0200 or email info@hrv.org.au. Payment will be required upfront with no invoicing, and fees will increase as the year progresses. Further information will be updated on Vicbred - The Trots.

RENEWALS: Licensees can still renew online through Harnessweb, with the ability to upload medical and declare betting (drivers). As part of the renewal process to activate a licence, you must complete the payment and HRV online compliance courses through the Safetrac Portal. Note: HRV Customer Service will contact participants who have not renewed from last season and those with incomplete renewals still pending to advise that new applications may be required if not actioned by the end of February. Renewal requirements can be found in the HRV Licencing and Registration Policy.

NEW LICENCE PORTAL: Licensees will shortly see a New Licence portal appear in Harnessweb. The licence portal will allow licensees to apply for upgrades/downgrades and to submit new applications, with all required documents (uploaded), questions, and declarations included. Communications will be sent before release to Harnessweb. More details are available at Licensing - The Trots.

REGISTRATIONS:

FOAL NOTIFICATIONS: Online foal notifications are now available through HarnessWeb to complete for services in the '24/25 breeding season. For a live foal, please ensure this is actioned within three weeks from the foaling date to avoid late penalties.
Note: HRV Customer Service will shortly contact participants with mares to Victorian stallions who have not yet notified of the result of the service. Reminder, all services must be submitted regardless of the outcome. We are asking for your assistance on this. More details can be found at Foal Notifications & Microchipping - The Trots, including a foal notification form if required to download.

MICROCHIPPING
Microchip packs will be dispersed within days of the live Foal notification submitted. The packs will be sent to the location where the foal is residing. Please ensure that if you are engaging your own vet, they scan the code found on the microchipping guidelines to register as an HRV-approved vet. This code is sent in with the package or via website at Foal Notifications & Microchipping - The Trots. This must be done prior to visiting your property to microchip your foal. Note: HRV will send microchipping rebates ($250) in bulk to breeders monthly, starting at the end of January. DNA verification is required for a rebate to be sent and for a foal notification through Victoria to be eligible for the rebate. More details and all FAQ’s can be found at Foal Notifications & Microchipping - The Trots.

REGISTRATION FORMS
A reminder that HRV advised that, from July 1, 2025, the following transactions must be completed online through HarnessWeb:
foal notifications, namings, transfers of ownership, licence applications including renewals, leases, deregistration/death of horses, and split prizemoney payments.

ACCOUNTS:

STAKERUN DISTRIBUTION STATEMENTS: HRV recently had technical problems with the distribution of statements. Should you still require an unsent statement or have any questions, please contact HRV Customer Service 03 8378 0200 or email hrvstmt@hrv.org.au.

SPLIT PRIZEMONEY PAYMENTS
Split Prizemoney Payments is available for managing owners of partnerships to set up via HarnessWeb, with stake money distribution split to everyone, including futurity win bonuses and participant-incentive bonuses. To be eligible, owners must have an active HarnessWeb account populated with up-to-date email and Australian/International bank account details. More details are available at Split Prizemoney Payments - The Trots.

The terrific young ponies and talented drivers have been tearing up the track. Here are some of the most recent winners, including a huge celebration at Melton as part of the Young Guns Series on New Year's Eve.

1st - She's Bulletproof driven by Charlie Walters; 2nd - Jam Packed driven by Alekxander Quinlan; 3rd - Pretty Cool driven by Tywin Quinlan.

1st - Twinkle Toes Ollie driven by Arabella Maxwell-Dedini; 2nd - Burnaholeinmybucket driven by Amelia Hodgson; 3rd - Casper driven by Shaniya Darmanin.

Harness Racing Victoria is aware of the increasing availability and use of artificial intelligence (AI) enabled smart wearable devices, including smart glasses and similar technologies. Common examples of these products include, but are not limited to, Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, Google Glass Enterprise Edition and Microsoft HoloLens.

We understand that as technology continues to evolve, such devices may have legitimate applications in broader society and, potentially, within aspects of the racing industry. However, to ensure the ongoing integrity of harness racing in Victoria, and while we undertake a review of the implications, risks and potential uses of these devices within the harness racing environment, the following direction is issued: