Manning trained and drove Arden Rooney to win the Hunter Cup, Victoria's equivalent of the NZ Cup, in February and has won group ones in Norway as well as at Addington (Knight Pistol) and Alexandra Park (La Coocaracha) before.
She was one of the pioneers of female equality in Australian harness racing which has far surpassed anything seen in New Zealand.
While a female jockey winning a group one or premiership in New Zealand rightly hardly raises an eyebrow these days, female drivers winning major races here was a complete rarity until Rasmussen moved to Canterbury to train with Mark Purdon three years ago.
Rasmussen of course trained and drove Blacks A Fake to win four Inter Dominions and become the richest harness horse in Australasian history, while drivers like Kellie Kersley, Jodi Quinlan and Amy Tubbs have won Miracle Miles and Victoria Cups and Lauren Penalla, Emma Stewart (trainer) and Amanda Turnbull have set premiership records.
Exactly why Australian females have left a bigger footprint in harness racing than New Zealand groundbreakers like Michelle Wallis, Nicky Chilcott, Lorraine Nolan and Julie De Filippi is hard to explain, with no tangible reasons.
Manning admits there have been some Payne comparisons this week.
"Everybody saw what Michelle did and it was great because it was on the biggest stage in racing," says Manning.
"So I have had people say this week it would be great for me to do the same thing in the New Zealand Cup because it is one of the biggest races in the world," says Manning.
"I heard the other day it has been going since 1904 so to be the first female driver to win it would be great and I am sure Natalie feels the same.
"But I suppose I don't think about the female element so much because it is quite normal over home now."
What isn't normal is the courage Arden Rooney showed after sitting parked and crushing leader Mossdale Conner in the Kaikoura Cup last Monday, a style that suggests he will be in front at some stage tomorrow.
"I'd like to go forward and get the lead and I think last week's win will get him some respect," admits Manning. "He races well in front and I will pull his hopple shorteners up this week to try and get him to go away faster than he did at Kaikoura."
The problem for Arden Rooney is that if he can wrest the lead he is likely to have the likes of Smolda and Ohoka Punter around him, horses who are quicker than the rivals who usually stalk him in Australia.
"Whether we will be quick enough to hold out those type of horses in the final 200m is the question, but maybe the 3200m will take the sprint out of them."
Arden Rooney was rated a $6.50 chance by TAB bookies last night, with a wave of tote support likely as the New Zealand pool co-mingles with his home state pool.
But after 111 years, the New Zealand Trotting Cup has two serious female driving contenders with a chance to join Payne as a November history maker.
NZ CUP DAY
• New Zealand harness racing's biggest day.
• Addington tomorrow, featuring $750,000 New Zealand Trotting Cup.
• No female has ever driven the Cup winner, tomorrow two have their shot.
• Sky Major remains the bookies' favourite just in front of Smolda.
