Harness racing in the South Island enters a new phase tonight with the implementation of the new points based rating system replacing the traditional handicapping system.

After seven months of trials in the North Island, the new system is, of this week, fully functional across the country with Addington getting the first bite of the cherry in the South Island tonight.

Harness Racing New Zealand have spent a good part of the last two months providing presentations to industry participants in an effort ensure as many facets of the industry are on top of the new system and what it will entail ahead of its debut.

The guiding principles for the new system as readily available on the Harness Racing New Zealand website and are accessible to anyone who might want to gain a better understanding of the system and its intricacies.

There’s been a frank admission from the handicapping department that they expect the system to be a work in progress as things find their feet.

While the trial in the North Island raised a number of issues, there is also expectation that the South Island will throw up it’s own teething problems.

The basic wishlist for the new system is to see a more even spread across the board when it comes to horse strength and to see more horses racing horses of a similar ability.

This should, in turn, lead to more even racing with less raging hot favourites and every horse gaining the possibility to extend their racing career in New Zealand.

All three South Island meetings this weekend have gained an extra race to what was initially programmed which, although not necessary of direct result of the new system, is a positive move in the opening week.

Tonight’s Addington meeting sees good even fields throughout the night with plenty of difficult races to figure out.

One race that will buck the trend however is the Nevele R Fillies heat which looks set to be dominated by high class three-year-old filly, Spanish Armada.

Fresh off the back of her third in the Northern Oaks a fortnight ago, the Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen trained filly will start a short order favourite from her middle of the front line draw.

She does come up against her old arch-rival Delightful Memphis who will be looking to bounce back from a failure in the wet at the Hororata meeting.

The winner of that race, Seaswift Joy, is also in tonight’s fixture and will start from the outside of the front row due to having already won a heat of the series.

Matt Markham