It’s been one hell of a year.
Who would have thought that in 2020 we’d be faced with a global pandemic, a global health crisis? An environment in which government “lockdowns” were both initiated and generally accepted. How about a cessation of all racing activity for months on end? Who could have seen that this time last year? Nostradamus could have taken a stab in the dark maybe.
Unbelievable really but it’s the way things have transpired.
New Zealand has, at the moment, come through things alright, we totted around increasing infection numbers for a increasingly nervous time, then totted back out after a period of hibernation, then we got racing back but without anybody there to see it, then we got connections allowed back on track to see their horse along with a few other jokers around, now, fingers crossed, we’re back for good on full noise.
The significance of NZ Cup week takes on even greater importance given the current situation.
The Canterbury Agricultural Show, which sees throngs of people go out of their way to see prize bulls and consume large quantities of teeth rotting candyfloss, was canned long ago leaving racing, across all three codes, the main attraction and focus of what is generally accepted as Canterbury’s week to shine.
That being the reality on Tuesday crowds will once again swamp into Addington Raceway to take in this years edition of the New Zealand Trotting Cup.
It’s no wonder the New Zealand Cup race day has sold-out, with everything going on and limited chances to spread ones social-butterfly wings there was always going to be a big response to a party.
Tuesday will see the fillies will don their fascinating fascinators and the colts their best cheap suits. A large number of the crowd will most probably not see the withers of a horse all day but they’ll love it anyway because they get to meet their new best friend or catch up with their best old friend.
Those that do see a horse will immediately fancy themselves the best selector in history and promptly lose their money on the thing that breaks up and takes no part.
The features of the racing card will be hotly contested among the leading trainers in the country.
The Cup field itself, while void of any international presence (although a number of race entries have Australian campaigns in their past racing histories) is full of story-lines and potential talking points. There’s a surprising amount of horses that could conceivably win the biggest pacing race in the country on Tuesday and that’s a change from the initial thoughts of many only a matter of weeks ago.
The Sires Stakes final is always a barn burner. The betting markets helped by American Dealer and his defeat of Krug recently at Ashburton.
The trotting feature of the day the New Zealand Trotting Free-For-All is a puzzle in itself given a number of leading chances may or may not opt for a Dominion Handicap (to be run on Friday) only stance during the week. Could the Aussie raider Tough Monarch do the back-to-back dance this year?
For the out-and-out harness racing fan it doesn’t get much better
For a lot of industry participants in New Zealand this is their day of days, for a lot of trainers it can be a career defining accomplishment to turn up on Cup Day and either have a runner or, all going well, a winning turn.
I do hope they enjoy it.
I also hope that they appreciate their part in providing an escape from all that’s been going on in 2020. A small but important contribution to everything being all good once again…
And then, just like that, it’ll all be over for another year… and onto 2021…and another crisis that’s yet to show itself no doubt…
Ben McMillan