The Auckland Pacing Cup which is sometimes referred to as the Auckland Trotting Cup or merely the Auckland Cup is a race held at Alexandra Park in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

for

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

horses. It is one of the two major harness races, along with the

New Zealand Cup The New Zealand Cup is a thoroughbred horse race run at the Riccarton Park Racecourse in Christchurch. New Zealand Cup week The New Zealand Cup is raced on the final Saturday of Christchurch "Cup week" held each year in the second week of Novem ...

, held in New Zealand each year for the highest grade (Open class) pacers. It is a

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

championship race and has been won by many of the champion pacers in New Zealand.

Cup History

For most of its history the Auckland Cup has been raced in December, however at times it has been moved to other calendar dates such as: * March, from 2006 until 2015, when it formed part of Auckland Cup Week, a carnival which includes feature

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

and greyhound racing. As well as the March 2015 race (won by Christen Me) there was a second 2015 Auckland Cup raced in December (Have Faith In Me). Neither Christen Me or Have Faith In Me competed in the other race that year. * January, in 1987 when won by Master Mood over 2,700m. In 1987 there was a second Auckland Cup in December, reverting to the 3,200m distance, won by Luxury Liner. Perhaps evidencing the competitiveness of the fields the January 1987 winner Master Mood could only place 9th in the December race whereas Luxury Liner, the winner in December could only achieve 6th in the earlier race. * February, for the 1978 to 1986 (inclusive) years. From 2022 it was moved to late May, on the same race-card as the

Rowe Cup The Rowe Cup is a race held annually at Alexandra Park, Auckland, New Zealand for standardbred horses. The Rowe Cup is run over a distance of 3200 m. Along with the Dominion Handicap raced at Addington Raceway it is one of the major harness ...

for Open Class trotters. Distance The Auckland Cup is currently run over 3,200 metres from a mobile start. The race started as a 3-mile event in 1890 to 1894 (inclusive) but it has traditionally been a 3,200m or 2 mile event apart from being a 2,700m journey for the races held from: * March 2007 (won by

Flashing Red Flashing Red is a brown Australia bred Standardbred racehorse that was foaled in 1997. He is notable in that he won both the Auckland Pacing Cup and two New Zealand Trotting Cups. These races are the richest harness races in New Zealand. He wa ...

) to March 2015 (Christen Me) before reverting to 3,200m for the 2016 year onwards. * February 1978 (Sole Command) to January 1987 (Master Mood). Stake money The stake money for the Auckland Cup has fluctuated over the years: * $400,000 for the 2022 year. * $196,000 for the 2020 year. * $245,000 for the 2019 year, which compared to $750,000 for the

New Zealand Trotting Cup The New Zealand Cup for standardbred horses, also known as either the New Zealand Trotting Cup or the New Zealand Pacing Cup is a Group One (G1) harness race held annually by the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club at Addington Raceway in Chri ...

. * $600,000 for the 2009 Auckland Cup ($1 million for the New Zealand Cup). Famous winners Champion horses which have won the Auckland Cup include Hall of Fame inductees and champions like: *

Cardigan Bay Cardigan Bay ( cy, Bae Ceredigion) is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales. Geo ...

* Caduceus * Young Quinn The above horses went on to succeed in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and/or

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

.Auckland Pacing Cup list of winners
It has been uncommon for female horses (mares) to win the Cup, the most recent being: * Amazing Dream (2020). * Flight South (2000). * Kate's First (1997). However the “Queen of the Park” Delightful Lady won the race twice, in 1980 and 1981.

Australian participation

As with the

Australian trained horses sometimes make the journey to Alexandra Park, such as the following winners: * Themightyquinn (a former NZ horse) in 2011 and 2013 *

Gammalite Gammalite (1976 – 21 December 2006) was an Australian bred Standardbred racehorse who was the first Standardbred to win A$1 million in Australia. He was regarded as one of Australia's most successful pacers with 16 Group one wins.driver: * 8 - Tony Herlihy (1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2008) * 6 - P T Wolfenden (1960, 1961, 1963, 1978, 1983, 1984) * 4 - J (James) Bryce jnr (1943, 1945, 1948, 1949) * 6 -

Mark Purdon Mark Purdon is a driver and trainer of standardbred racehorses in New Zealand. He was associated with many champions and is one of the leading trainers and drivers of harness horses in New Zealand and Australasia. He was inducted into the Inter D ...

(2002, 2009, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020) Most wins by an

owner Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...

: * 4 - R A McKenzie (1957, 1959, 1971, 1985)

Winners list

References

{{reflist, 2 Full list of Auckland Cup results - http://www.hrnz.co.nz Horse races in New Zealand Harness racing in New Zealand

Cup History

Australian participation

Winners list

See also

References