Nominations open for NZ Trotting Cup and Renwick Farms Dominion Trot

The countdown to Cup week is on.

It's now less than 100 days until the New Zealand Trotting Cup and the Renwick Farms Dominion Trot at Addington Raceway on Tuesday, November 10 and the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club and Harness Racing New Zealand are delighted to announce that nominations for the two Group 1 features are now open.

NOMINATIONS :

Initial nominations will be accepted until Monday, August 17 and will cost $632.50 (including GST) for the Cup and $316.25 (including GST) for the Dominion.

The Cup's stake is $800,000 (with $432,000 going to the winner) and the Dominion is worth $400,000 ($216,000).

All nominations should be emailed to bureau@hrnz.co.nz

RANKINGS :  

Initial rankings for the Cup and the Dominion will be available on Thursday, August 20.

A ranking panel has been assembled and will include HRNZ's Head of Racing and Wagering, the HRNZ Handicapper, NZMTC Racing Manager, NZMTC Racing Secretary, and the NZMTC Board Representative.

Rankings will be updated and published on the HRNZ website each Wednesday at 10am.

Following the South Bay Trotters’ Cup and the Kaikoura Cup at South Bay on Monday, November 2, 2026, the final rankings will be released as soon as practical on Tuesday November 3, 2026.

AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS :

For the New Zealand Trotting Cup and the Renwick Farms Dominion Trot there will be four automatic qualifiers, with the winners making the fields if nominated and eligible.

For the New Zealand Trotting Cup they are :  

Maurice Holmes Vase, August 21, 2026 (Addington)
New Brighton Cup, September 4, 2026 (Addington)
Holmes DG, October 2, 2026  (Alexandra Park)
Canterbury Classic, October 16, 2026 (Addington)

For the Renwick Farms Dominion Trot they are :

2026 Ordeal Trotting Cup, September 4 (Addington)
2026 D G Jones Banks Peninsula Cup, September 25 (Addington)
2026 Lamb & Hayward Classic, October 9 (Addington)
2026 Canterbury Park Trotting Cup, October 16 (Addington)

All enquiries should be directed to bureau@hrnz.co.nz