Grimson and Swayzee do the unthinkable in 121st NZ Cup

As far as preparations go for New Zealand harness racing’s ultimate staying test, the $1,000,000 IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup go, to say the Jason Grimson trained defending champion, Swayzee’s (Rock N Roll Heaven), was less than ideal would be an understatement.

Undeterred, connections made the late payment of $28,000 to nominate for the NZ Cup last Tuesday, won the $60,000 Young Cup on Friday in New South Wales, arrived in New Zealand on Sunday, and stole the show in the biggest race on the Australasian harness racing calendar this afternoon (Nov 12).

One wonders what the likes of Maurice Holmes or Roy Purdon would think if you even tried explaining those set of circumstances to them. Forget what you ever thought to be the ‘traditional’ Cup preparation, because what Grimson, Swayzee and his pilot Cameron Hart just achieved defies logic.

18 months ago in his final start for champion trainer, Tim Butt, Swayzee ran last in a mr30-70 race at Redcliffe. Today he became the 18th horse in the 121 year history of the Cup to win the great race twice and the 17th to go back to back. Unbelievable. Yet, we witnessed it with our own eyes.

Furthermore, at the thick end of a gruelling 3200m, the six year old gelding having worked mid race to find the lead, summonsed the stamina to fight back and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, after a gallant Don’t Stop Dreaming (Bettor’s Delight) and Blair Orange headed the Australian halfway down the straight.

It was shades of Flashing Red in 2007, without the three week let up.

All hail King Grimo!

Having recently returned from a three week kick boxing boot camp in Thailand, the New South Welshman boldly declared in the lead up, “this is my cup”, second row draw and all.

After galloping away on dispatch, Swayzee settled quickly for Cameron Hart but spotted the favoured New Zealand duo of Dont Stop Dreaming and Merlin (Art Major) close to 14 cart lengths as they went past the post two laps to go with the kiwi pair making light work of the standing start to lead/trail early doors.

Hart set Swayzee alight past the winning post and worked forward three wide where he found an uncontested lead from Orange and Don’t Stop Dreaming.

With the rest of the contending drivers seemingly forgetting they were racing for a million dollars, or perhaps deterred by the fighting talk of the defending champions in the press, Swyazee proceeded to pace the next mile with an uncontested lead. Perhaps they assumed the Grimson trained pacer would wilt under the burden of the travel and having raced only four days earlier?

In hindsight, letting a noted front runner away with soft fractionals, without a single horse moving until the 600m, might not have been the answer. What would I know, having never driven a pacer let alone a race winner.

But when Hart and Swayzee unleashed a 55.2 last half having not seen a single contestant at his cart wheel, even Stevie Wonder could see that a long way from home that those at the rear of the field were little hope of running a drum.

Don’t Stop Dreaming was gallant in getting past the defending champion by half a cart length, only to have the Australian lift himself off the canvas inside the last 100m and secure a phenomenally victory by half a length.

“He [Don’t Stop Dreaming] definitely got past us but I know how hard this horse tries,” said Hart.

“To think I have just won two New Zealand Cups is amazing. He is an amazing horse.”

SWAYZEE | 2024 NZ CUP REPLAY

The winning time of 3:57.1 was a full four seconds outside Lazarus’ 2016 race record, but this was a record in it’s own right. And one would think, with a chance to become just the fourth pacer in the history of the Cup with a chance at securing three victories, the connections may well nominate a shade earlier in 2025.

Of the beaten brigade, Merlin, who sat quietly three the fence throughout, failed to fire a knockout blow in the straight with he and Zachary Butcher having to settle for fourth.

The Cran Dalgety trained Republican Party was enormous as the first horse to get going from the rear of the field, surging wide to run into third.

Greg Sugars and Jess Tubbs would have been delighted with the performance of Better Eclipse (Bettor’s Delight), while the Regan Todd camp will be rueing the fact there up and coming star, Mo’unga (Bettor’s Delight) got the start wrong. The inability to capitalise on his good barrier draw likley cost them a top three finish with the son of Bettor’s Delight rattling home into sixth from a long way back.

21 have nominated for the New Zealand Free For All on Show Day (Nov 15) where the dual New Zealand Cup Champion will attempt to become the 25th pacer to complete the NZ FFA/ NZ Cup double.

With a couple days on New Zealand soil to recover, the NSW pacer will be an enormous chance of doing just that!

For complete Addington Cup Day results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink