Matt Markham - Trotting Cup Day

Racing commentator Matt Markham was also back to share his picks for Cup Day 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Matt Markham's back.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Hello, good morning, looke, how are.

Speaker 1 (00:03):
We Trotting Cup day? All lies on Addington. Although here's
the first quirky we fact, the big race, which is
the Trotting Cup. At aroundabouts ten to six, it's not
actually for trotter's right, No, it's not for paces. So
what does that mean?

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well, so what are we now? Nineteen oh four the
first New Zealand Trotting Cup was held. At that point
in time, the game was still sort of developing a
little bit here in New Zealand, and colloquially it was
referred to as trotting, not harness racing. So therefore the
name trotting Cup has stuck through the decades and continues

(00:44):
to be so, so it can be a little bit misleading.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Yes, so trotters and paces. It's the way they move
their legs that's different, right, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Correct, So the pacers have what they call hobbles on
their legs and their action is more fluent and back
and forward, whereas the trotter can be a little bit
different in their gates. So they're two completely different gates.
But yeah, so the dominion handicap or the dominion as
it's known is for the trotters and the New Zealand
Trotting copp is for the pacers.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
So why don't we start with that's Dominion then, which
is raised ten. That's around twenty two five pm. And
the one local is horse number one, Marwe, which featured
in the Guardian. It's the McCormack's horse. Would you be
putting this a slide? Bet on this?

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Here's a sneaky weat chance mar We. He's a wonderful,
wonderful story because in an age where the industry is
dominated by the angle yelling sales and people with big
wallets going out and buying the best bred horses, Mary
bucks the trend a little bit. And the fact that
he's a homebread to the mccormicks, And there's steeped in
harness racing history, Lawrence who does the driving and David

(01:54):
who does the training for their father and grandfather, the
late Doug McCormick, was agent in harness racing here in
New Zealand, particularly with the trotters, so it's very cool
to see him in the greatest trodden race of them all.
What I would say around Mawi there's a little special
market open on tab dot co dot Nz. That's worth

(02:14):
having a week look at. It's called the Ruffies Race
and he's basically got to beat two horses home and
you can have three dollars and I think that's a
great bet. So if you look it up on TV
doc coded Zig you'll find the Ruffies Racing. You can
find Mawi there. He's a three dollars chant to win that.
As I say, he's only got to beat two horses home,
so it looks pretty good for him. He's a really

(02:35):
good top four, top six charts. I think because he's
such a good stand start horse, he'll get himself on
the speed and be close.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
Throughout right on. What about our other local link American
me in the main affair.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, the horse they refer to as Yank. Unsurprisingly his
name wonderful, wonderful achievement for Brentonson White to have him
in his third consecutive New Zealand Trodden Cup. He did
run fourth in the race two years go, so he
is capable. The only question I would say is that
in the last probably six months, his formed probably hasn't

(03:06):
been quite as good as what it was a couple
of years ago. But one thing in his favor Luke
is the fact that the trotting cuts run over three
two hundred meters, which is the ultimate distance in harness racing,
and American me thrives on it. He is as tough
as old boots and he'll just keep tracking all day.
So he's an outside chance, but a wonderful achievement for brief.

(03:29):
Tim and the owners have the horse in the race,
and he's got one big thing in his favor, and
I know you spoke to him this morning. The man
sitting behind him who wears a gold set by the
name of Richard Terrance. Richard Terrence May knows how to
win this race. He's won at seven times. He is
the greatest Manzealant Cup driver of all time. So it's
a nice we boost at his chances.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
Absolutely anything else that you see of value.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
I think the locals can start off the day really
really well. John Morrison's got a horse in race number
one called Royal Rock. He trains it himself. Some punters
will remember John winning the first on Day a couple
of years ago at forty six to one on a
course called Franco Joe Sawyer who's trained in mckenbury. Next
he goes around today. Royal Rock's four dollars eighty, so

(04:12):
he's not quite forty six dollars. But I think he'll
be winning the first His form has been excellent and
rates one number four. I'll make him the bet of
the day. I think you can start on chap Day
in the right foot