‘BUMPER’ NOMS FOR CHRISTCHURCH CASINO NZ CUP
The NZ Metropolitan TC has been inundated with nominations for this year’s $600,000 feature.
A total of 49 horseshave been nominated for the NZ Trotting Cup, a very pleasing number for Club officials.
Harness Racing NZ Marketing and Communications Manager Andrew Morris says the 49 horses illustrate the resurgent strength and depth of New Zealand harness racing at the top level.
He says when you look deeper the quality is definitely there with 10 of last year’s Cup combatants back for another try in 2011. Also eight of the 2011 Inter Dominion Finalists from April are amongst the early entries as well.
He adds entries include 14 Group 1 winners, four millionaires and total stake earnings of $19.8 million, which he says suggests that this will be a strong Cup, contrary to what some were predicting.
Two-time winner Monkey King heads the nominations.
Morris says his re-emergence last week in the Hannon Memorial was just the right tonic before nominations were taken.
After much speculation champion Australian Smoken Up has been entered.
Lance Justice is fiercely determined to go one better than last year’s second to Monkey King.
He says perhaps the overall strength of the field this year stems from the new wave of Cup horses.
“Franco Emirate, Smiling Shard, Franco Jamar, Devil Dodger, Pure Power, Terror To Love, Gomeo Romeo and many others will be nipping at the heels of the established stars in the lead-up racing and on the big day itself.”
The Mark Purdon/Grant Payne stable leads the nominations numerically with four. This is without Sleepy Tripp, last year’s third placegetter
The full list of 49 nominations for the 2011 Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Cup:
Form Horse Age/Sex Hcp Wins Trainer
P2794- Empyrean 4h 3 C T Dalgety
143-21 Pay Me Cullen 5g 5 J C Hay
32113- Terror To Love 4h 5 G T Court & P T Court
00648- Van Washing Man 7g 5 B A Waldron UR
6357-1 Another Impact 7g 6 D W & Mrs C M McGowan
16660- Anvils Best Ever 5h 6 N R McGrath
23766- Balishka 6m 6 B K Mowbray
40080- Captain Peacock 5g 6 D A Taylor
90069- Five Star Anvil 5h 6 D B Gale
113P-1 Hostile Grins 6g 6 T G Butt
-31125 Mr Chrome 6g 6 A D Stuart
57-518 Napoleon Dynamite 6g 6 R E & Mrs P N Fensom
-78-88 Still Coughin 6g 6 K M Barron
91842- Storm Light 6m 6 S M Campbell
10983- Wee Brother 5g 6 P N & Mrs L M Jones
35510- Beaudiene Christian 5h 7 N R McGrath UR
38046- Choise Achiever 5g 7 T G Butt
422-12 Devil Dodger 5g 7 J P Green & B Hughes
8020-0 Lord Forbes 7h 7 G R Forbes
13237- Mach Banner 5h 7 R J Dunn
14-650 Manhattan Rusty 6g 7 B C Hutton
089-0- My Man Dan 6g 7 D J Gaffaney
1115-4 Pure Power 5g 7 D W & Mrs C M McGowan
19945- Reklaw’s Chance 6g 7 W E Higgs
0832-3 River Field 5h 7 S P Doody
01352- Gomeo Romeo 5h 8 I T Small
87021- Kotare Mach 5h 8 M Purdon & G Payne
P6-573 Rangataua Ray 7g 8 P L Wallace
-299-2 Second Wind 6g 8 S J Adlam
11-216 Sir Lincoln 5h 8 R W Green
34203- Smiling Shard 5h 8 C T Dalgety
12611- Franco Emirate 5g 9 J F Curtin UR
2-3211 Franco Jamar 5h 9 S Dolan/L McCarthy
3-152- Rider On The Storm 7g 9 R J Dunn
1341-9 Trojan 6g 9 G F & Mrs J J Knight
760-35 Zenad 8h 9 I T Small
73261- Georgetown 7g 10 M Langdon
0081-7 Highview Tommy 6h 10 M Purdon & G Payne
34-100 Fake Chance 10g 11 S Moore
1801-6 Ohoka Dallas 7g 11 M Purdon & G Payne
83556- Pembrook Benny 7g 11 B Purdon
128-60 Vi Et Animo 6g 11 G R Shirley
347-44 Bettor’s Strike 7g 13 C T Dalgety
52436- Lisagain 6h 15 T G Butt
312-19 Power Of Tara 9g 20 B R Hill
7-190- Auckland Reactor 7h 21 M Purdon & G Payne UR
087-30 Bondy 10g 22 D J & Mrs C M Butt
3867-1 Monkey King 9g 36 B R Hill UR
11-111 Smoken Up 9g 51 L Justice
There will be no sustaining payment for the 2011 edition of the Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Cup.
The field will be drawn following final Withdrawals at 2:00pm, Tuesday, November 1. There is also provision for a late entry payment of $6,000 + GST, which is payable at Final Withdrawal time.
The following are the main lead up races to the 2011 Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Cup:
Mangan Graphics Spring Cup (L) 23-Sep Auckland $25,000
Avon City Ford Cup (G3) 30-Sep NZ Metro $25,000
Mountain River Processors Methven Cup (G3) 9-Oct Methven $35,000
Canterbury Classic (G3) 14-Oct NZ Metro $25,000
R X Plastics Ashburton Flying Stakes (G2) 24-Oct Ashburton $70,000
Alabar Kaikoura Cup (G2) 31-Oct Kaikoura $50,000
Courtesy of Andrew Morris, HRNZ Marketing & Communications Manager