Sweeping changes to Wellington Cup

Press, 27 November 1982, Page 22

Sweeping changes to Wellington Cup

Special correspondent Wellington Sweeping changes to the Wellington Cup' and the announcement of the richest maiden pacing event on the trotting calendar have been confirmed by the secretary of the Wellington Trotting Club,. Mr Colin Banks. The main change is in the class format for the cup. The open class invitation conditions have been dropped and the distance increased to 2900 m from last season’s 2400 m. The cup will now also be a mobile event. Next year's cup will be for

C 7. 8 and 9 pacers for a stake of $15,000. The stake has dropped by $5OOO on last year's contest, but Mr Banks explained why. “We had a good look around the country at similar type events,” said Mr Banks, “and the $15,000 stake appears to be the top money offering. We felt that that stake would be sufficiently attractive. “The time appeared to be right to introduce the new conditions for the race," he said. “The club has been struggling a bit to get full fields

for the cup for the last fewyears so some changes had to be implemented. "The mobile should be well received and the fact that the Auckland Cup and Inter Dominions are to follow will mean that there would be a lot in the C 7, 8. 9 grades that x would be anxious to gain an open class rating," he said. Mr Banks added that there were about 50 horses currently in work in the three grades and that there would be more that work their way through to the grades before the cup is run.

The cup meeting will be held on January 8 and January 12. The first night forerunner to the cup. the Edward Lumely Free-For-All. will also be a mobile, over 2000 m. On the question of the surplus $5OOO from the cup stake of last season, Mr Banks said that the club was trying to source out the balance of the programmes for the whole season and they felt that the money could probably be put to better use at other meetings during the season. An innovation for the cup meeting is the Courier Sys-

terns Graduation Series. This is a two heat and final affair for three and four-year-old maiden pacers. The entries will be maidens at time of nomination and horses that subsequently win after nominations close will still be eligible. Two heats, both mobile start races, will be held on the first night of the meeting. Each will be for a stake of $2500 with the Courier Systems Graduation Final worth $5OOO. This is easily the richest maiden race on the New Zealand trotting calendar.