Young Gun Series: Tom Bagrie

After recently racking up 100 training wins with his Downbytheseaside mare Hi Hopes (NZ), we caught up with Canterbury's Tom Bagrie ahead of the 2025 National Yearling Sale. Here we learned more about the next gen-eligible trainer from Ohoka, with New Zealand Cup aspirations. 

How did your passion for the harness industry come about?
I was brought up around racing with Dad (Peter Bagrie) being a hobby trainer on our family farm.
My uncle’s Robert Dunn and Henderson Hunter kept me interested. I actually tried to get away from it after school but eventually found my way back to it.
 

What has been your career highlight to date?
Winning the Southland Oaks and Northern Trotting Oaks. Few other black type races here and there but those two were a real highlight of mine.
 

What do you look for when purchasing a yearling?
Athletic type and good head. It’s got to have a good brain to go with it.

There are a lot of new incentives recently announced in the harness industry. What’s your opinion on them?

New ideas are always welcomed. Looking to improve is only a positive thing. We have a great bunch of owners in nice horses that will reap some of those rewards, but we warmly welcome anyone new that would like to get involved in the industry’s growth. There’s no better time.
 

You’ve achieved 100 wins as a trainer. What is another race you would like to win?
The New Zealand Cup is the race we all want to win. To even have one in it is special. It is the race.
 

Who is your favourite Sire?
Bettors Delight. He’s a living legend.
 

Which horse has given you the most satisfaction in your career?
Dad trained a great horse called Bettor’s Heart (NZ). She took us all over Australia and America. She gave us a great thrill.
 

Do you have any role models in the industry?
My father is my biggest role model. Barry Purdon is a master you can’t leave out of that. John Dunn can get a hearty mention. He’s a great horseman.
 

Best piece of advice you’ve been given?
You can never stop learning.
 

What piece of advice would you give any young person wanting to get started in the standardbred industry?
Work hard. Be helpful and just say hello. It goes a long way.

Lastly Tom, any non-racing hobbies to switch off from work?
I'm a big sports guy. I like to play cricket or tennis socially to get away from it. Rugby too.
 

We look forward to catching up with Tom at the sales with selling kicking off at Karaka on Saturday 15 February from 1pm (NZT). Attention will then turn to the Canterbury Agricultural Park where selling begins on Tuesday 18 February at 11am (NZT).

All horses purchased at the Sale are eligible for NZB Standardbred’s lucrative Harness Million Sales Race Series. The Series consists of principal two-year-old and three-year-old races for colts and geldings, fillies and trotters individually, where NZB Standardbred graduates can contest for their share in a one million dollar prizepool.

As a non-Group One winning trainer in New Zealand as of 1 January, Tom also qualifies as a Next Gen Trainer. For more about the Next Gen Series, read here.