The 2024 NZ Trotting Cup Field……The Sires making their mark!

Rob Courtney

With a week to go to the greatest pacing race in Australasia and with the top 16 horses ranked in ‘performance order’ most likely to fill the field, it was of interest to this writer to see just who was leaving their mark at the top end of our racing.

And there were some defining trends!

Bettor’s Delight

Champion sire Bettor’s Delight (four runners – Leap To Fame, Don’t Stop Dreaming, Republican Party & Mo’unga) holds a strong hand in a likely result as does his ‘old foe in Art Major (four runners in Alta Meteor, Merlin, Charlie Brown & Aroda).

These two super sires, over a long period of time, are represented by 50% of this year’s runners and it would indeed be a brave punter to suggest that the potential winner comes from outside this eight.

The ‘other’ eight runners are by eight different sires.

Of note, Dalton Shard becomes the first representative of his sire in Always B Miki to contest the great race and deceased high calibre stallions in the form of American Ideal (American Me), Somebeachsomewhere (Beach Ball) & Mach Three (Mach Shard) continue to leave a positive impression on the harness racing industry.

The maternal sires of the 16 runners makes for very interesting reading with a number of our ‘commercial’ families prominent as the ‘Cup’ gets closer.

Former Cup winner Christian Cullen is the damsire of three runners (Dalton Shard, Mo’unga & Aroda) while Art Major (Swayzee & Leap To Fame), Bettor’s Delight (Merlin & Charlie Brown), American Ideal (Don’t Stop Dreaming & Republican Party) & Presidential Ball (Beach Ball & American Me) collectively make up 11 of the 16 runners (or 69% of the field)

All five of these stallions are noted broodmare sires.

The remaining five runners have five different damsires….Northern Luck (Bettor Eclipse), Tact McLeod (Albert Albert), Franco Marek (McArdle), Alta Meteor (Mach 3) and Mach Shard (Panorama).

Art Major

The Art Major mare Lettucereason has the distinction of having two of her progeny in the Cup and has a very good chance to provide the victor especially when they are called Leap To Fame & Swayzee.

When one considers the choice breeders have when selecting stallions for their mares, the sires & dam sires of this year’s field is a rather narrow field.

The breeders of these horses & subsequently the owners of these horses have spent the money in acquiring these equine beasts and have surely benefited from the obvious quality, initially on paper at least.

The ‘cream has risen to the top’ as it were.

While there will always be the exception to the rule, it would appear breeding the best to the best and hoping for the best still holds sway in the modern game.