Easter Cup will be worth $12,500

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34086, 25 February 1976, Page 8

Easter Cup will be worth $12,500

The Easter Cup, which this year will be run on April 17. "ill carry a stake of $12,.'>00, an increase of $5OO, plus a trophy valued at $ >OO.

The race will, as usual, be run over 3200 m. but the Metropolitan Trotting Club has decided against running qualifying heats as it has in recent years.

The club had grave doubts about the availability of sufficient horses to provide two qualifying heats on each of the opening nights of the carnival on April 3 and 10 and decided against continuing them.

In place of heats on the first night, the club will run a junior free-for-all for C(>. C 7 and C 8 horses for a stake of S4OOO. The event will be run over 2600 m from behind the mobile barrier. A week later there will be a S5OOO invitation event over 2000 m, which should prove a valuable lead-up race for the top horses engaged in the Easter Cup a week later.

The New Zealand Trotting Stakes, for three-year-old trotters on the second night of the meeting, will carry a -ecord stake of $lO,OOO, of which $5OOO will come from

| the stakes subsidy scheme of i the Racing Authority. The $6OOO New Zealand [welcome Stakes on the last day of the meeting will be the first leg of the Triple i Crown No. 3. ■ The Three-year-old Championship. the second leg of the Triple Crown No. 2, will also be run that day. This $6500 race will be run over 2600 m, and the field will in-

elude Fancy Fred, winner of the first leg 12 months ago The club will run a nontotalisator race at each meeting. There will be a SlthH) event for CO horses with women drivers on the first night, a $l6OO C2 race for probationary drivers a week later, and a $5OO race for two-year-old trotters on the final day.