Dunedin Trotting Cup resurrected

After a gap of thirty nine years the Forbury Park Dunedin Trotting Cup will be on the race card again when the Forbury Park Trotting Club races at Wingatui on Friday.

Between 1979 and 1984 The Dunedin Trotting Club was a feature of the April meeting for the Club and the names of some top liner trotters are engraved on the trophy.

“We found it in a box of old trophies. It has a wee bit of tarnish on it. It’s got the name of all the winners and the owners. We’ve got a nice pacing trophy too, but we got our Pacing Cup taken off us,” Forbury Park President Lex Williams said.

The race for R51-R80 trotters will be called the Icon Interior Construction Dunedin Trotting Cup and will be a handicap race over 2200 metres with a stake of $20,000.

The original race in 1979 was run for open class trotters over 2700 metres and was won by Hano Direct (Truant Hanover) trained and driven by Doody Townley. The four year old mare beat Santoza by a head with Cool Cat finishing third.

Scotch Tar (Tarport Coulter) won the race in 1980. Trained and driven by Slim Dykman the six year old gelding beat Ailsa Hanover by half a length with Our One finishing third.

Sir Castleton (Game Pride) took out the 1981 edition in the hands of Patrick O’Reilly junior. The favourite beat Kabase with No Response finishing third. The race that year carried Group Two status and had a stake of $8,500.

In 1982 Game Pointer (Game Pride) and Jack Carmicheal took out the race beating thirteenth favourite and another son of Game Pride, Sid with Triarmbro finishing third.

Basil Dean (Great Evander) who started off the front mark and in the hands of Kerry O’Reilly won the 1983 edition beating outsider Hannibal Hest and Ray Todd by a length with Regal Flyer and Roy McIntrye finishing third. Favourite Sir Castleton broke and was pulled up.

In 1984 front marker Game Command (Game Pride) trained and driven by Ian Cameron was the winner. The five year old beat favourite Basil Dean which started off twenty metres, by a length.

In the race’s six year history About Now started in five of the six years but never ran a place.

All the race winners ultimately achieved excellent results: Hano Direct: 79-10-1-8 $40,830, Scotch Tar: 87-29-6-4 $142,405, Sir Castleton: 105-44-21-10 $302,042, Game Pointer: 55-8-1-4 $22,170, Basil Dean: 65-24-8-5 $183,700 and Game Command: 108-14-13-9 $73,750.

Sir Castleton won a Rowe Cup while Scotch Tar (1978 and 1980) and Basil Dean (1984) won a Dominion Handicap.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink