Great New Zealand Hurdle favourite faces huge challenge with weight
Michael Guerin • September 19th, 2025 9:17 AM • 4 min read
Hurdling newcomer Yolo could be a victim of one of her rival’s greatness in the $150,000 Great New Zealand Hurdle at Te Aroha today.
The Great New Zealand Hurdle is the new name for the Great Northern, which used to be held at Ellerslie then had a couple of seasons at Te Rapa and is now back at Te Aroha, which is planned to be the new home of our season-ending iconic jumps races.
Te Aroha holds Hurdles Day today and then the Great New Zealand Steeplechase on Sunday, giving the renamed races a carnival-weekend home and the tight-knit jumping community a chance to celebrate a winter of resurgence.
The Hurdles is the centre-piece of today’s racing and it is slightly surprising Yolo is the $3.20 early favourite as she has only had four starts over the sticks for a win, a second and a fourth and was pulled up in the Wellington Hurdle.
Take the fences away today and she would be winning as she has been super impressive winning her last two starts on the flat but she is giving away huge jumping experience to her nine rivals.
They include, most importantly, Berry The Cash, the topweight whose mere presence in the field doesn’t help Yolo.
Because of his outstanding jumps record, Berry The Cash is rated 13 points better than his nearest rival and since his topweight can’t go higher than 73kg, almost the entire rest of the field carries 66kg.
Which means Yolo carries the same weight as last season’s Great Northern winner Lord Spencer and only 0.5kg less than Grand National winners Happy Star and Suliman.
“She has been slaughtered in the weights, that topweight pushing everything else down really doesn’t help her,” Yolo’s trainer Kevin Myers said.
“She is in good form, as people have seen on the flat, and she has looked pretty good over hurdles so she will go a good race.
“But I am waiting to see what the weather does and how much rain they get.
“If the tracks get loose and they get through it then she is my best chance.
With the latter rated a $10 chance, it might be worth an each-way play if Te Aroha starts to look like really hard work today, as it did two weeks ago.
On that occasion, Hill Of Kings won the natural lead-up to this race, the Pakūranga Hurdle, after sitting three or more horses wide of the rail to secure unused ground – even though it meant he covered a lot more distance than his rivals.
He can clearly win again as he also stays on that 66kg minimum and has less convictions as a jumper than most here.
But the reality is the winner may not only have to be the most efficient jumper but the horse who handles whatever conditions Te Aroha serves up today.
The 4200m will feel an awfully long way for any horse who isn’t enjoying the track today so Myers’ idea of waiting to see how it is playing makes punting sense.
Still, Hill Of Kings is the one horse who we know can win a hurdling slog at Te Aroha, is in form and well-placed at the weights so he might be the most logical betting option.
Great New Zealand Weekend
What:
The new name for what used to be called the Great Northern carnival.
The new name for what used to be called the Great Northern carnival.
Where:
Te Aroha.
Te Aroha.
When:
First day Friday, second day on Sunday.
First day Friday, second day on Sunday.
Highlights:
$150,000 J Swap Great New Zealand Hurdles (today); $150,000 Ben and Ryan Foote Racing Great New Zealand Steeplechase (Sunday).
$150,000 J Swap Great New Zealand Hurdles (today); $150,000 Ben and Ryan Foote Racing Great New Zealand Steeplechase (Sunday).
Unique:
All races both days are either over jumps or for highweight riders and amateur jockeys.
All races both days are either over jumps or for highweight riders and amateur jockeys.
