THE Addington/HRNZ Ranking Committee had a busy time yesterday dealing to two sets of rankings for the first time at its initial meeting for 2015.
To view the Cup rankings click here
To view the Dominion rankings click here
In a rare situation, a marked increase in Australian and international nominations made comparing the various merits of horses more difficult, but it is exciting to see so many varied form-lines coming together for races like the Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Cup and Hellers Dominion.
The NZ Trotting Cup rankings are headed by last season’s ‘Horse of the Year’ Christen Me, with Australian nomination and Hunter Cup winner Arden Rooney at two being the top ranked visitor.
While the NZ Cup is missing stars such as Adore Me and Terror To Love, a new guard is set to take their place. The committee was impressed with the overall depth and quality of those nominated, which suggests an intriguing spring build-up is in store. There is the potential to have a large group of quality up-and-comers clambering for spots in the lead-up to harness racing’s great race.
In the Dominion, defending champion Jaccka Justy heads the list, just ahead of Trotter of the Year, Stent and the ever-present Sheemon. An exciting aspect is the addition of two well-performed European trotters. This is sure to add a significant edge to the Dominion and its lead-up.
Ranking the Hellers Dominion proved to be an interesting process for the committee. Addington Racing Manager Brian Rabbit explains; “It’s tremendous having the international flavour adding to the Dominion. The Australian nominations are well credentialed, which is great for the potential depth of the race but that also gave us some headaches.”
“The trickiest part for the committee was weighing up the two European horses, Used To Me and Daryl Boko. Both have competed very well in the hotbed of European trotting. Used To Me is a proven top-level type performer in France, while Daryl Boko ran third when favourite in the Finnish Derby last year, a Group 1 race worth 221,000 Euros and brings over solid Swedish form.”
“We had to exercise discretion for the European pair, as they clearly fall outside of what the ranking criteria was introduced to cover.”
The connections of smart trotter Boizel have made a Late Payment to nominate and he now takes the total number of Hellers Dominion nominations to 39.
The next set of rankings will be released following a committee meeting on Tuesday 8 September after the Maurice Holmes Vase on September 4.
If you require any further information on this, please do not hesitate to contact the Racing Department at HRNZ on 03) 964 1200 or Brian Rabbitt at Addington Raceway on 03) 338 9094.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
