Cracking fields confirmed for harness racing's biggest day

By Michael Guerin

Harness racing looks set for a betting bonanza after some stunning fields were drawn for IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup day at Addington raceway on Tuesday.

The Cup is full and fantastic, there are plenty of Australians in the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion and the Sires’ Stakes Final shapes as a classic North versus South contest.

Add in a TAB Junior Free-For-All boosted by a Miracle Mile winner in Catch A Wave and  Sooner The Better and this is a Cup day which will attract eyeballs like rarely before in the last 20 years.

But the Cup will as always be the centrepiece. It now has three genuine superstars in  Swayzee, Merlin and Don’t Stop Dreaming, now that Leap To Fame has been scratched. 

Stablemate Aroda is still expected to fly from Sydney to Christchurch via Auckland on Sunday.

Swayzee faces starting from the second line on Tuesday as he did last year but in a far stronger field this time with Merlin and Don’t Stop Dreaming all drawn the front line along with Auckland Cup winner Better Eclipse.

Australia’s champion trotter Just Believe will completely dominate betting in the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot which has been moved to Tuesday from its traditional Show Day date on the Friday of Cup week.

Add in an old school north versus south battle in the Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes Final between Captain Sampson (barrier 1) and Marketplace (8) on Tuesday and harness racing’s biggest day could reach record turnover levels.

And before all that fun starts Duchess Megxit goes will have to overcome the outside barrier in the $200,000 Nevele R Fillies Final.