Marlborough set to shine as Waterlea two day meeting looms

The 104^th edition of the Marlborough Pacing Cup will be held this Sunday at Blenheim’s Waterlea Racecourse, as part of the Marlborough Harness Racing Club’s annual two-day summer meeting beginning on Friday the 19^th of January with free entry for anyone looking to attend.

The club has attracted great fields with over 150 horses nominated for each of the two-day carnival and with the long-term weather forecast looking like it will play its part, Marlborough Harness Racing Club President, Shirley Morris, is expecting a cracking weekend of racing and fun for all ages.

“The nominations are great and everything we could have hoped for and more. Last year we had a big crowd on the course, and I think making the change to having a free entry helped with that and I think we can expect the same again this year,” said Morrison.

“We get a lot of local residents who seize the opportunity to have a picnic and a day out at the trots which is unique to a lot of them and a great chance for time with friends and family in a unique setting. We have a lot of local sponsorship also,” she said.

Since March 1920, trials, OTB (Owners, Trainers and Breeders) and tote meetings have been held at Waterlea Racecourse. The only exception to this was during the Second World War when no harness racing meetings were held between 1939 and 1945.

The Marlborough Pacing Cup is a race steeped in history, having been first contested in 1913 – in fact there were two recorded instances of a Marlborough Cup that year, the first won by Lucy Wallace and the second by Ariadne. The 2024 edition being run on Sunday is over the 2850m distance on the grass surface and has attracted 14 nominations, headlined by the Greg & Nina Hope-trained Mossdale Ben who was 6^th in last year’s New Zealand Trotting Cup.

Previous winners have included Hayseed (1920, first Cup winner at Waterlea), Waikato Prince (1937, winner of Dominion Hcp Trot), Auckland Cup winner Macklin (1957), ID heat winner Why Bill (1975), West Coast Bonus and Easter Cup winner Our Mana (1983), Blue Chip Rock (2004, Easter Cup) while dual winners have been Full Cry (1919, 1920) and Vikota (1929, 1930).

According to HRNZ records, over eighty trainers have raced horses from Blenheim and the surrounding area (Marlborough province) over the past six decades (since 1959/60 season). Those most prominent have included Grant Anderson with twenty one training victories to date at Waterlea Raceway since 1983, Pat O’Brien (thirteen; with son Mike a further six), Alan Shutlowski (twelve), Graham Neill (eleven), Mac Miller (ten) and Peter Hope (eight; Greg Hope’s father [Monbet, Enghein and part owner of Robalan, winner of 1974 NZ Cup, three NZFFA’s, Easter Cup]) rounding out the leading half dozen trainers on a wins basis.

Morrison who alongside her husband and local trainer, Don, has been entrenched in the Marlborough harness racing scene for close to 30 years.

“We have been part of the Marlborough harness racing fraternity since we moved to Blenheim back in 1995. I went on the committee a few years ago and it might have been two years that I have been President. I look after race day stuff, Tony Thomas does the race meetings and looks after track management and the like and Les Whiteside is responsible for taking care of the sponsors and advertising. It’s like having three President’s which works out great,” said Morrison.

“We have a great team with the rest of the committee also and all of the volunteers who help us put on a great country meeting like we do,” she said.

With free entry for young and old, Morrison encourages anybody in the area and those looking for a great weekend escape to make their way to Waterlea Racecourse for two days of excellent entertainment.

“On Sunday we have the family day with a bouncy castle, lolly scrambles and free ice creams which makes it a great opportunity for those with kids to come along and be entertained for the day. There is live music for everyone to enjoy also.

“Quite a lot of the harness racing fraternity come along for the weekend and stay on course. We don’t have as much space for the campervans as some of the other country tracks do, so if you were thinking about travelling to the meeting with a campervan or caravan, try and get there as early as possible because space for those types of vehicles etc will be limited,” she said.

The rating 50 and faster Trot on Friday and the Marlborough Trotting Cup on Sunday are part of the new Harness Racing New Zealand initiative known as the Seddon Summer Trotting Series.

SAM’S TOWN | 2023 MARLBOROUGH CUP REPLAY

Each leg of the nine-leg series are worth between $15,000 and $20,000. The stakes have been boosted in part through the new Regional Stakes Fund introduced by HRNZ this year.

Points are allocated to each horse based on their finishing position and at the end of the series, the connections of the horse with the most points will get a bonus of $10,000, with $3,000 for second and $2,000 for third.

The first race on Friday will kick off at 2pm while the first race on Sunday will begin at 12pm.

For more information, contact the Blenheim Trotting Club on 03-578 8599 or by email at waterlearaceway@xtra.co.nz

The club would also like to extend thanks to the following sponsors and volunteers who without, the two-day meeting would not have been possible.

Sponosors

Asure Sundowner Motels, Babich Wines, Blenheim Print, Blenheim Sun Newspaper, Blenheim Toyota, Norm Crafar, Eckford Engineering Ltd, Grove Tavern, Farmlands, Isabel Wines, Kam Transport, Kiwi Seeds, Don & Shirley Morrison, Nelson Pine Industries, Paknsave Blenheim, Rhind Fencing Ltd, Seddon Harness Group, Speights, Superliquor Grove Rd And Springlands, Wallace Diack Chartered Accountants, Waterfront Bar & Grill, Wineworks.

Volunteers

Paul & Diane Scott, Alan & Petrina Shutkowski, Gary Bulger and the Marlborough Harness committee.

For complete Blenheim race fields, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink