And then there were 19.
As the blowtorch gets applied by the top pacing stars and others start to wilt under pressure, the number still in contention for the New Zealand Trotting Cup has dropped considerably in the past two weeks to 19.
Bit Of A Legend's withdrawal last week was the trickle before the torrent, as seven pacers were withdrawn between last week's action and this week's rankings released by Harness Racing New Zealand.
Easy On The Eye, a recent sale to Australia, was the highest-ranked withdrawal over the past seven days, but fellow top-15 prospect Jason Rulz has also been removed.
They are joined by ex-Kiwi Maximan, Pure Power, Lets Elope, Classiesistar and Vice Chairman. All five pacers were in the low to mid-20s in the rankings.
At the upper end of the rankings, Franco Nelson will be a starter on New Zealand Cup day after finishing second behind Terror To Love in Friday night's Canterbury Classic.
The placegetters in the Canterbury Classic gained automatic entry, although Terror To Love was already guaranteed a start after winning last year's cup and Christen Me (third) had secured his spot with his Maurice Holmes Vase victory in September.
Hand Christian's fourth in the Classic - his first race in almost 2 years - saw him jump up to 13th place, while Four Starzzz Flash also moved into the top 15 courtesy of his fifth in the group 2 race.
Rankings.-Terror To Love 1, Christen Me 2, Franco Nelson 3, For A Reason 4, Adore Me 5, Pembrook Benny 6, Seel N Print 7, Abettorpunt 8, Franco Ledger 9, Smolda 10, Tiger Tara 11, Fly Like An Eagle 12, Hands Christian 13, Four Starzzz Flash 14, Jimmy Johnstone 15, Pemberton Shard 16, Pass Them By 17, Arden Rooney 18, Lewy Risk 19.
Withdrawals: Besotted, Locharburn, Jivin Cullen, Belkmyster, Ballindooley, The Wrath Of Robyn, Maiden Rome, Franco Harrington, Themightyquinn, Averil's Quest, Bit Of A Legend, Easy On The Eye, Jason Rulz, Maximan, Pure Power, Lets Elope, Classiesistar, Vice Chairman.
