Premier Meetings Carry the Cash
With the catch-up Oaks and Derby now run, attention returns to the Premier Meetings with the running of Dairymaster Wanganui Cup night next Friday.
In addition to the $30,000 Group 1 feature the night will host the Uhlenberg Haulage Wanganui Stayers Final over 755m.
The stakes for All support races on Premier nights will be lifted by $3,500 above the standard schedule.
The Northern Region will host their first Premier meeting on Waterloo Cup Day at Manukau on Sunday 18 October and then we move to the big day at Addington on Thursday 12 November.
This year NZ Cup will play host to three Group I races, with the Stayers Cup moving from July to join the Galaxy running on Cup day. The build up to the Cup and Railway will be similar to last year with a day of heats for each followed by Semi-finals on Wednesday 4 November, the same day that heats for the Stayers Cup will be run.
Running the Stayers Cup in November creates a better spread of the three Group I races for stayers. Instead of the November / June / July scheduled for last season, we now have the Wanganui Distance in February and the Collar maintaining its traditional place in June.
Other Premier meetings to look forward to are Spion Rose night in December, NZ Breeders night at Addington in early February, Hatrick Classic night in late February, Auckland Cup day in mid March, Derby night in April, Oaks night in May and South Island Champs in July.