Harness 5000 Leaderboards Go Live – The Race Is On!
24 Jul 2025
The Harness 5000 is officially underway, and with it, the newly launched leaderboards are bringing the excitement and competitiveness to life for breeders and owners alike.
Twelve $60,000 Listed races will be contested this summer as part of the Harness 5000 concept, designed to reward grassroots breeders and provide a meaningful racing target for horses by sires with service fees of $5,000 or less.
Now, with the live leaderboards up and running, the true shape of the competition is beginning to emerge. As horses return to the track through late winter and spring, expect these tables to change quickly and dramatically. With updated points, eligibility status, and race-by-race progression, fans and participants can now follow every step of the journey toward qualification.
It’s early days, but already the aged divisions in particular are shaping up to be fiercely competitive. With a healthy depth of eligible horses in many of the pacing and trotting categories, the battle for a start in these 12-strong finals will be hotly contested.
Several divisions are already beginning to throw up tantalising potential clashes and expect more movement as horses tick over the required number of starts to be eligible for finals contention.
The leaderboards are designed to be updated regularly by HRNZ, factoring in both points earned and eligibility requirements met. So whether you're a breeder or owner with a Harness 5000-sired horse, a trainer plotting a campaign, or simply a fan of competitive grassroots racing – this is the place to watch.
Harness 5000 Leaderboards: Click here to view!
To be eligible for the Harness 5000 series, horses must be sired by a stallion standing at an ADVERTISED service fee of $5,000 or less (GST exclusive). This year, 14 pacing sires and 20 trotting sires meet the criteria — an encouraging sign of the support this series is receiving from studs across New Zealand and Australia. Several notable stallions including Father Patrick, Pebble Beach and King Of Swing have had their service fees reduced to meet the threshold, allowing their future progeny to contest the lucrative series.
Eligible Pacing Stallions (2025/26)- Cannibal ($5,000)
- King Of Swing ($5,000)
- Krug ($2,500)
- Lather Up ($4,000)
- Lazarus ($4,000)
- Locharburn ($1,000)
- Pebble Beach ($5,000)
- Ride High ($3,000)
- Stay Hungry ($5,000)
- Tattoo Artist ($5,000)
- Terror To Love ($4,000)
- The Storm Inside ($2,500)
- U S Captain ($3,000)
- Vincent ($3,000)
- Aldebaran Eagle USA ($3,000)
- Aldebaran Zeus ($3,500)
- All Cashed Up ($1,250)
- Callmethebreeze ($5,000)
- Carlton ($1,000)
- Classic Connection ($4,000)
- Creatine ($3,000)
- EL Titan ($4,000)
- Elite Stride ($3,500)
- Father Patrick ($5,000)
- Habibi Inta ($2,500)
- Majestic Son ($5,000)
- Marcoola ($1,500)
- Monkey Bones ($2,500)
- On A Streak ($3,000)
- One Over Da Moon ($1,500)
- Oscar Bonavena ($2,500)
- Royal Aspirations ($2,500)
- Six Pack ($5,000)
- Speeding Spur ($1,000)
A full retrospective record of stallion eligibility from the 2009/10 breeding season through to 2024/25 is now available as a downloadable PDF. This resource, compiled by HRNZ and NZSBA, provides breeders and participants with a clear view of which sires have had consistent eligibility over time.
Click here to view the official Harness 5000 Eligible Stallions PDF.With over $700,000 in stakes on the line and pride in grassroots breeding at the heart of it all, the Harness 5000 is already delivering on its promise: restoring the dream for everyday breeders. Stay tuned – the fun is just beginning.
Click here to view the full Harness 5000 Terms & Conditions
