NZ Cup Live Barrier Draw | Field is set!

This afternoon at Addington Raceway, the live barrier draw for the 2022 IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup was conducted for what promises to be the most exciting harness racing contest on these shores in some time.

1. Self Assured
2. Majestic Cruiser
3. Akuta
4. Krug
5. Spankem
6. Heza Sport
7. Pembrook Playboy
8. Copy That
9. Old Town Road
10. Kango
11. Smiffys Terror
12. The Falcon (E3)
13. Rock N Roll Doo
14. Steel The Show (E1)
15. B D Joe
16. Alta Wiseguy
17. South Coast Arden
18. Cranbourne (E2)

With the three emergencies drawing the second row, the 10 horses off the front are assured of their positions on the front line come the second Tuesday in November.

The barrier positions are intriguing to say the least with 2020 New Zealand Cup winner Self Assured drawing a tricky marble in barrier one. So much is made of the outside horses on the front line getting an advantage from the 3200m stand at Addington Raceway.

The irony is not lost in the fact that Copy That, who was hugely disadvantaged a year before his cup triumph from barrier one has drawn favourably in barrier eight, while Self Assured who was the winner that year will have to try his luck from the ace. Self Assured doesn’t get all favours with the first three horses outside him not being renowned for their manners from the stand.

Pembrook Playboy who is an incredible stand start exponent has also drawn to take advantage of his great manners while the opposite can be said for Australian visitor, Rock N Roll Doo who has drawn on the second line.

Back-to-back barrier selections early in the piece did the Stonewall Stud pair of Alta Wiseguy and B D Joe no favours, drawing alongside each other from wide on the second row.

When the names appear on paper as they have this afternoon, it just reinforces what a wonderful New Zealand Cup we have before us.

Full fields for Cup Day will be available this afternoon.

The live barrier draw can be viewed here

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink