19 September 2024 | RACING & SPORTS
New Zealand Cup hero Swayzee brings his star power to the Carnival of Cups when the 2024/25 series gets underway at Parkes on Friday night.
Building on the huge success of last year’s revamped Harness Racing NSW Carnival of Cups, the series will feature five big events over the coming months with Parkes to be followed by Young in November, Tamworth in January, Albury in February and Penrith next March.
The Carnival of Cups will carry unprecedented incentives with a $1million bonus going to any horse that can win all five feature races, with $500,000 up for grabs for the winner of four legs and $250,000 for three.
The Carnival of Cups will again add trackside entertainment to the elite harness racing action in the form of leading musical acts, beginning with The Living End, Shannon Noll and Sara Berki at Parkes.
On the racing side the carnival certainly gets off to a high-quality start at Parkes with multiple Group 1 winner Swayzee the headliner in the $60,000 The Dish (2807m).
Swayzee – who crossed the Tasman to win last year’s New Zealand Cup having earlier in the season beaten Leap To Fame in the Blacks A Fake – will be joined in The Dish by his well-performed Jason Grimson-trained stablemates Nerano and Cya Art.
All three will start from the back row under the preferential barrier draw conditions but represent the class factor in the race.
Swayzee makes his first appearance since he bravely chased Leap To Fame as runner up in this year’s Blacks A Fake in Brisbane in July and while he could be shy of peak fitness with a lack of recent racing he goes well fresh and has been kept up to the mark with a trial.
He oozes quality – particularly over these longer distances – and his regular partner Cameron Hart takes the drive so class can get him home.
Nerano also last raced in the Blacks A Fake when down the track but he was fourth in the Group 1 Sunshine Sprint before that and narrowly beat Swayzee for a Listed win in the Lucky Creed over 2680m earlier in the Brisbane carnival.
He tuned up for this with a trial win over Swayzee and like his stablemate he races well fresh so must rate as a danger.
Cya Art hasn’t been too far away since scoring a Menangle win three back, beaten less than 6m when fourth there last week.
He doesn’t quite have the class of his two stablemates but he is proven at the distance.
Outside of the Grimson trio Cassius Deck is a last-start city placegetter with a decent record at Parkes so is a first-four hope.
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