It’s Australian pacers one-two-and three in this week’s final IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup rankings.
It’s been a turbulent week with on-going uncertainty about whether the champion Leap To Fame would cross the Tasman and then the sudden re-emergence of defending champion Swayzee, after his connections made the late payment of $28,750.
Both, it now seems, will take their place at Addington in the $1m feature next Tuesday.
Swayzee, as defending champion, is the top ranked horse ahead of Leap To Fame with Auckland Cup winner Just Believe third.
Mo’unga moves into the field at 13th, up three places, following his win in the Alabar Kaikoura Cup yesterday and now looks set to take his place in the field.
Aroda, a stablemate of Leap To Fame’s, is also heading to New Zealand though at 16th is not guaranteed a place in the field yet.
Among the high profile withdrawals from the Cup this week has been Sooner The Bettor after botching the start of the NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales Series Aged Classic yesterday at Kaikoura. He ended up finishing sixth.
In the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot Muscle Mountain is now a notable absence.
The multiple Group 1 was withdrawn from the race after missing the What The Hill Ashburton Trotters Sprint on Labour Day with a leg injury.
Australian trotter Callmethebreeze has also been withdrawn.
That has seen the Robert and Jenna Dunn-trained Mighty Logan climb from 11th to seventh after his second in the White Morph South Bay Trotters Cup at Kaikoura yesterday behind Mystic Max.
Other trotters that have seen their stocks rise this week include Fiery Bandito from 14th to 11th and Maui from 18th to 14th.The top six ranked trotters remain unchanged.
To see the final rankings click here