The New Zealand Trotting Cup has been a FFA pace (all starters off the one mark, front line limit mark) since the 2008 edition won by Changeover. Flashing Red in 2007 was the last winner of the NZ Trotting Cup when it was run as a handicap pace, overcoming the back mark of 15m which resulted from his win in the Cup (Lt) of the previous year (2006) adding ten metres and the 2007 Auckland Cup which added a further 5m to his handicap. Flashing Red was the sole representative starting off a handicap in the 2007 Cup.
Earlier years back to the Cup’s commencement in 1904 (two mile standing start 1904 -1972; 3200mSS 1973 – to date) show a somewhat different story. Handicaps have been determined by two different methods – “time” based and “distance” based.
Time Based Handicapping
In the earlier years from the inaugural Cup race run in 1904 until 1921 handicaps were assigned on a time basis i.e. seconds start over the scratch (effectively backmarker) runner (s). An exception to this in 1916 saw yardage/distance handicaps : Cathedral Chimes, started off 36 yards behind). Winners conceding the greatest handicaps by time were :
- Ten seconds – DURBAR 1908 (scratch) conceded maximum starts to unplaced Fusee and Master Poole
- Eight seconds – WILDWOOD JUNIOR 1910 (scratch) won his second NZ Cup (1909 off five seconds) conceding maximum starts to unplaced Verax and Walnut
- Seven seconds – AUTHOR DILLON – 1918 (three seconds). Sungod (third) received ten seconds start over lone scratch performer Cathedral Chimes who finished last
Non-winners conceding the greatest handicaps by distance were :
- Eleven seconds – Sal Tasker (1907, fifth)
- Ten seconds – Euchre (1906, second); Lord Elmo (1909, third); Cathedral Chimes (1918, unplaced)
The first NZ Trotting Cup held on Friday 11 November, 1904 (third day of carnival, Canterbury Show Day; others days Tuesday and Thursday) was won by the trotter Monte Carlo, one of four horses who received the maximum handicapping advantage (seven seconds) over the lone scratch runner Euchre. The following year Birchmark received the maximum advantage of six seconds over Vaunt (1 second) when also winning with a seven seconds time handicap.
Other notable performances during these initial years when the NZ Cup was run on time based handicapping rules included :
Marian in November 1907 winning with nine seconds advantage over scratch runner Sal Tasker in the second slowest ever time of 5:16.4 (slowest being Birchmark 5:17.6, 1905). Sal Tasker conceded a further two seconds to Prince Warbeck who started with an eleven second advantage. Albert H (1912) had an eight second advantage over Emmeline (scratch) while second place getter Ravenschild shared a nine second advantage together with three other starters.
Adelaide Direct (see Harnessbred story of 15 November 2017) in 1917 received a seven second start from lone scratch marker Admiral Wood. The only mare to win the NZ Cup and produce a foal that also won the NZ Cup was Trix Pointer in 1919 received a six second start over lone backmarker and 1918 winner Author Dillon. Trotter Reta Peter in his first victory in 1920 along with three other starters had a nine second start over Author Dillon (Reta Peter’s advantage in 1921 was a seven second start but that was only a five second advantage over back marker Man O’War (two seconds). This was the final year that time based handicaps applied in the NZ Trotting Cup.
Distance Based Handicapping
JR Rowe, President of the Auckland club for thirty years and President of the Trotting Conference from 1909 to 1922, was a successful administrator who reintroduced the yardage system of handicapping in Auckland in 1915 and at the 1921 Conference sought support for this handicapping system to be introduced nationwide. Whilst his motion was defeated by fifteen votes to eleven, the yardage system was eventually introduced by all clubs.
The 1916 NZ Trotting Cup was notable for the introduction of yards (distance) as the handicapping method instead of time (seconds). It was a further six years before yards were introduced on a permanent basis for handicapping the Cup field; in 1916 it was not seen as entirely successful or accepted by all. From the 1922 Cup won by Agathos (12 yds), handicaps were determined by distance/yardage back from the scratch/limit/front markers until the FFA race conditions applying from 2008 onwards were introduced. Winners conceding the greatest handicaps by distance were all champions of their era :
- Sixty yards – HAROLD LOGAN (1932); HIGHLAND FLING (1948)
- Fifty Four yards – CARDIGAN BAY (1963)
Many notable handicap winners have featured over the eight decades that distance handicaps applied – they were in the days of imperial distances :
- Forty Eight yards – Harold Logan (1931); Indianapolis (1935 & 1936); Johnny Globe (1954); False Step (1960)
- Forty Two yards – Lordship (1966)
- Thirty Six yards – Cathedral Chimes (1916); Sheik (1924); Peter Bingen (1929); Haughty (1943); Loyal Nurse (1936)
- Twenty Four yards – Ahuriri (1926); Kohara (1927); Red Shadow (1933); Lucky Jack (1939); Bronze Eagle (1944); False Step (1959)
- Twelve yards – Agathos (1922); Great Hope (1923); Ahuriri (1925); Peter Bingen (1928); Wrackler (1930); Indianapolis (1934); Integrity (1946); Highland Fling (1947); Mobile Globe (1952); Adorian (1953); Our Roger (1955);
- Six yards – Humphrey (1966)
The most “popular” handicap mark during the imperial distance years was twelve yards (eleven occasions). The winners who were the backmarkers of their year make up a very select group :
- Harold Logan (1931, 48 yds and 1932 60 yds – equal greatest back mark distance win with Highland Fling)
- Haughty (1943, 36 yds, second NZ Cup)
- Highland Fling (1948, 60 yds, second NZ Cup – equal greatest back mark distance win with Harold Logan)
- Johnny Globe (1954, 48 yds, joint backmarker with unplaced Vedette)
- False Step (1960, 48 yds, third NZ Cup)
- Cardigan Bay (1963, 54 yds; won on all four days****/including first night trotting meetings at Addington during 1963 NZ Cup carnival [NZ Cup/NZ, Ollivier and Matson FFA’s]/six weeks later won his second Auckland Cup from 78 yd back mark)
- Lordship (1966, 42 yds, second NZ Cup)
- Luxury Liner (1988, 10m, joint backmarker **)
- Neroship (1990, 10m, joint backmarker **)
- Il Vicolo (1996, 10m – second NZ Cup when joint backmarker **);
- Yulestar (2000, 10m, joint backmarker **)
- Just An Excuse (2004, 10m, joint backmarker **)
- Flashing Red (2007, 15m – greatest back mark winner in metric period)
**** four wins at one Cup carnival matched by lower class horse Cello Sydney Wilkes (1919), Red Shadow (1933 : on Cup Day won NZ Cup and 1¼m sprint; on third day NZFFA and Christchurch Hcp); trotter Tutira (1969 : Dominion/Introductory/Greyhound Hcps, NZ Trotting FFA) and Gentle George (1978 : Flying/Cashmere/November/Final Hcps).
Mares with the longest handicap to win the NZ Trotting Cup were Haughty (1943) and Loyal Nurse (1949), both off a 36 yard handicap. Haughty was one of only two dual NZ Cup winning mares (also 1942), the other being the trotter Reta Peter (1920, 1921) – both winners in consecutive years.
Three time NZ Cup winners in consecutive years, both won off 48 yds back marks in their third victories – Indianapolis in 1936 (also 1935) and False Step in 1960. Winner in 1947 and 1948, Highland Fling had the greatest increase in handicaps between years of all dual/triple winners – winning off 12 yds in 1947 with an increase of 48 yds to 60 yds in 1948 due to a prolific year’s success between NZ Cups.
It is quite obvious that the frequency of winners coming from handicap marks began diminishing as the years rolled on. Since the introduction of metric distances in 1973/4 season (3200mSS), through until the final handicapped NZ Cup in 2007, few winners have come from beyond the front line limit – those that have are :
- Luxury Liner (1988), 10m (joint backmarker** with Master Mood)
- Neroship (1990), 10m (joint backmarker** with Inky Lord)
- Il Vicolo (1996), 10m (joint backmarker with** Desperate Comment, Burlington Bertie, Master Musician and Bee Bee Cee)
- Yulestar (2000), 10m (joint backmarker with Happy Asset and Breenys Fella)
- Just An Excuse (2004), 10m (joint backmarker with Elsu and Mister DG)
- Flashing Red (2007), 15m (lone back marker and only horse not off front line)
Non-winners conceding the greatest handicaps by distance in the imperial distance era have included (unplaced unless otherwise stated) :
- 84 yards – Don Caesar (1916); Onyx (1924); Great Bingen (1926; fourth 1927)
- 72 yds – Admiral Wood (third 1916); Realm (fourth 1924); Great Hope (fourth 1925); Sheik (1926); Harold Logan (fifth, 1933; third 1934); Indianapolis (1937)
- 60 yds – Great Bingen (second 1925); Realm/Logan Chief (1926); Waitaki Girl/Onyx (1926); Prince Pointer (1927); Roi l’Or (1935, 1936); Lawn Derby (1938); Haughty (fifth, 1944); Single Direct (1955); Lordship (1967)
- 48 yds – Tommy C (1916); Box Seat (1922); Taraire (1923; third 1924); Imprint (1927); Great Bingen (second 1928); Padlock (1929); Roi l’Or (1933); Red Shadow (1934); Harold Logan (fourth 1936); Lucky Jack (second, 1938); Parisienne (1938); Pot Luck (1940); Haughty (1945, 1947); Integrity (1947); Single Direct (third, 1948); Emulous (1948); Single Direct/Integrity (1949); Single Direct (third, 1950); Vedette (1951; fifth 1953; 1954); Caduceus (third, 1959); Waitaki Hanover (1967)
- 42 yds – Tactician (1956, 1957, 1958); Lordship (1965)
Note – Our Thorpe was handicapped to start off 108 yds in the 1916 Cup but was withdrawn on the morning of the race.
In the period since the introduction of metric distances, the greatest handicaps conceded have included (unplaced unless otherwise stated) :
- 30m – Stanley Rio (fifth, 1977); Gammalite (1984)
- 20m – Royal Ascot (fifth, 1973)/Manaroa; Robalan (third, 1975); Lunar Chance (1976); Luxury Liner (fifth, 1989)
- 15m – Captain Harcourt (1977); Delightful Lady (second 1980); Christopher Vance (third, 1992; 1993; 1994); Chokin (1994); Yulestar (third, 2001); Young Rufus (2003)
and a good number of starters off ten metres over the three and a bit decades of handicapping in metric distances.
Perhaps the greatest non-winner of the NZ Trotting Cup in terms of handicaps conceded over the years has been Great Bingen, seconds in 1925 (60yds) and 1928 (48 yds, beaten half-length by full brother Peter Bingen; both by Nelson Bingen/Berthabell) together with a fourth in 1927 (84 yds) from four attempts. Others to feature include Caduceus, second in 1958 (30 yds), thirds in 1956 (12 yds) and 1959 (48 yds) plus fifths in 1955 (Lt) and 1957 (30 yds) from five attempts; Single Direct, thirds in 1948 (12 yds) and 1950 (48 yds) from four attempts. In the modern metrics era, Master Musician’s seven starts yielded seconds in 1993 (10m) beaten a length by Chokin (1993) and 1¼l by Bee Bee Cee (1994, 10m) and third in 1995 (10m) to Il Vicolo.
There was always something special about seeing a NZ Cup runner and better still winner performing wonderous deeds from handicap marks. That in no way detracts from some of the sublime performances of the Cup’s winners over the past dozen years when FFA conditions have applied.
Peter Craig
4 November 2020
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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