Racing: Auckland Cup winner to miss Addington

Star Victorian pacer Themightyquinn will not contest the NZ Trotting Cup. Photo / Dean Purcell

The New Zealand Trotting Cup has lost one of its early favourites and more damage could be on the way.

Auckland Cup winner and Interdominion runner-up Themightyquinn has been ruled out of our greatest harness race after a recent health setback.

"He's had a lung infection and he's far to valuable to take any risk with," trainer Gary Hall said.

"Our vet has told us to take the safe option and give him a spell.

"He won't have long out, probably three or four weeks, but it means I'll be out of time to have a crack at the NZ Cup and the Miracle Mile."

Hall said the setback was disappointing, but stressed it was not serious. "The advantage we've got next season is the Interdominion being in our own backyard."

Themightyquinn was being set for the New Zealand Cup, with the huge Addington track ideally suited to his explosive racing style.

And just two years after four leading Australian pacers tackled the cup, Addington officials could struggle for serious Australian interest this season.

The horse they would love to attract back to Addington is Smoken Up, who has been placed in the past two New Zealand Cups.

But suggestions are the New Zealand Cup stake could drop to $600,000, or even less, as racing clubs around the country lose the government subsidies that have propped for major carnivals for the last three years.

With the New Zealand dollar so weak against the Australian, $600,000 is going to be a lot easier for Australian trainers to ignore than the $1 million of two years ago.

Especially as Smoken Up would dominate any early market for the Miracle Mile, which is run in Sydney just two weeks after the cup.

Because he is so tough, Smoken Up's connections may still believe they can contest both the November classics but if they have to choose just one to target the Miracle Mile will be their first priority.

Smoken Up and Themightyquinn will battle for a different title in Canterbury this weekend though, when the pair are two of the favourites for the Pacer of the Year title at the national awards, to be held on Saturday night.

With the hearing into Smoken Up's Interdominion drug charge still to be heard voters will have been confused as to whether to include that in their Horse of the Year calculations, which could swing the momentum for the ultimate award to champion filly Carabella.

Meanwhile, Carabella's sire Bettors Delight will cap a dream week at the awards.

Carabella is certain to win 3-year-old pacing filly, while Bettors Delight is also the sire of Gold Ace, who will win 3-year-old male pacer this weekend.

That follows a sensational few hours for the South Auckland-based stallion in the US on Sunday (NZT).

Bettors Delight's world champion daughter See You At Peelers maintained her 20-start unbeaten run winning a US$127,000 feature at The Meadowlands meeting in New York.

Even more importantly, Bettors Delight's little brother Roll With Joe won one of the world's great harness races, the US$1 million Meadowlands Pace - a magic result for Woodlands Stud, who stand Bettors Delight in Clevedon.

Northern harness racing fans get their third taste of live action in five days when Northland race at Alexandra Park today, with Major Ouch (R4) looking one of the better bets of the day.

CUP CONCERNS

* Themightyquinn is the first major casualty for this year's New Zealand Trotting Cup.

* The Auckland Cup winner has suffered a setback and has been spelled.

* A reduction in the cup stake coupled with the strong Australian dollar will make luring Aussie's best pacers here difficult.

* Champion South Auckland stallion Bettors Delight has had a dream weekend in the United States.