Despite some quality Cup and Dominion lead-up harness racing being staged in NZ last weekend the big move in both sets of Rankings came in Australia.
McLovin's win in the Bill Collins Sprint at Melton (Group 1) has seen him lock in his Dominion place by leaping from the fringe (#15) to fourth in the Rankings. The brave win against fellow Dominion nominee, Tough Monarch, and other leading Australian trotters really threw down a marker as one of the Premier trotting performances of the season to date.
The make-up of the Dominion rankings has changed with several defections as well. Leading contenders Massive Metro, Kyvalley Blur and Harriet Of Mot have all had the pin pulled on their Dominion campaigns. There are now 34 left in the running for the 2019 Airpark Canterbury Dominion, with key races at Ashburton and Kaikoura yet to come.
Across in the NZ Cup rankings there wasn't a whole lot of change but withdrawals have changed the look of the top 15.
The withdrawal of Aussies Buster Brady, Ellmers Image and Sicario has paved the way for local up-and-comers to press their claims for a Cup start in the coming weeks.
One such horse that enjoyed a significant bump is Smokin By. His third in the Methven Cup has moved him up to 16th. Gran Chico who was close-up in fourth at Methven sits in the field now, at 14th. Following his second in Holmes DG, Mach Shard now sits comfortably within the top 15, in 12th. The Devils Own who wasn't far behind Mach Shard in third has edged closer to the top 15. He now sits 19th.
24 horses remain in contention for the Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Cup.
View the full rankings click here.
Courtney Clarke
Communications and Marketing Co-Ordinator | Harness Racing New Zealand Inc