Racing: The Forbury Park Trotting Club's prestigious race canned

Forbury Park Trotting track. Photo / NZPA

The Forbury Park Trotting Club's most prestigious race of the season will not be run at tomorrow's Easter Thursday meeting.

The 4 & 5-year-old championship, a 2700m handicap pace, was moved to March/April in 2011 after previously being run in January or February from its inception in 1977.

Master Mood (1986) and Bee Bee Cee (1994) both went on to win the New Zealand Cup later in their careers after winning the Dunedin feature - the only group race to be held at Forbury Park each year.

However, the attraction of just six horses - Crackabella, Southern Pursuit, I'm Full Of Excuses, Tas Man Bromac, Titan Banner and Quick As A Trick - for this year's edition shortly before withdrawals convinced the committee not to proceed with the race.

"At six [nominations], the committee decided it was not appropriate to run it," general manager John Ayoub said.

Ayoub said the proximity of the Easter Cup at Addington on Saturday night - which has attracted a field of 10 including six 4 or 5-year-olds - contributed to the committee's decision.

Discussion around the possibility of rescheduling the group three race would likely be made in two weeks when the committee meets to discuss meeting dates for the new season.

Forbury Park isn't the only club to drop a feature race this year.

The Pelorus Classic was scrubbed by the Marlborough HRC in January after only attracting four nominations, despite offering the carrot of automatic entry into the Chariots Of Fire at Menangle the following month.