2. The cup has been running since 1904, when it was won by Monte Carlo. This will be the 120th running of the great race.
3. Though called the New Zealand Trotting Cup it is actually for pacers. The trotting version of the New Zealand Cup is the Dominion on Show Day (Friday, November 17). Pacers hold a lateral gait, where the front and back legs move at the same time (both left legs then both right legs) while trotters hold a diagonal gait with the front left and back right moving together and vice versa.
4. The race record for the 3200m is 3min 53.1sec set by two-time winner Lazarus in 2016.
5. This year the New Zealand Cup is worth $750,000.
6. Three horses have won the New Zealand Cup three times — Terror To Love (2011-12-13), False Step (1958-59-60) and Indianapolis (1934-35-36). Copy That (2021-22) would have been vying to join them this year but is injured.
7. If Mark Purdon drives Akuta to victory this year he will join Ricky May as the only driver to have won the New Zealand Cup seven times. Last year Akuta finished fourth. Ricky May, driving Beach Ball, is vying for his eighth win in the race.
8. Only two women have won the New Zealand Cup. Kerryn Manning was the first with Arden Rooney in 2015, followed by Natalie Rasmussen with Thefixer in 2018. Adore Me was the last mare to win the Cup, in 2014.
9. The IRT New Zealand Cup meeting will feature 12 races, starting at noon.
10. The turnover on last year's meeting was a record $7.5 million. According to the TAB it was the highest for any New Zealand race meeting over the last 20 years, and a jump of $900,000 on the 2020 New Zealand Cup meeting ($6.6m), which also had a 13-race card. The previous highest mark was $7.1m, set at the 2007 NZ Trotting Cup meeting.
