KEY POINTS:
The New Zealand Cup's standing as our richest harness race is set to be confirmed by another stake increase.
The Herald understands Addington officials will announce in the next week the Cup, the centrepiece of Christchurch's Cup Week, will rise to $600,000.
The move will keep the 3200m classic as clearly the richest harness race in the country just when the Auckland Trotting Cup appeared to be closing the gap.
The new 2700 mobile Auckland Cup rose to $400,000 this season and could go higher in the next two years.
But Addington have pre-empted any opposition by raising their stakes already.
They are also likely to raise the stake for the New Zealand Free-For-All to $150,000, up $25,000 from last season.
That gives the elite pacers $750,000 to race for in three days in the second week of November.
Those sort of stake levels may be needed too if Addington is to continue to draw leading Australian pacers to their carnival.
The conditions of the Auckland Cup, because it is later in the season and a mobile, are now more attractive to Australian pacers, especially if there are no flights to Christchurch in November.
But the stake increases, coupled with the fact that the Miracle Mile is two weeks after the Free-For-All this year rather than the one-week break last year, could entice more Australian trainers to look at the race.
With the New Zealand Derby set to move to $200,000 this season and plans for a new stabling area approved, Addington officials are beaming.
They will increase all lower grade stakes in the new season, with maidens racing for $7500, apart from at the new Tuesday graduation meetings.
That means total stakes for next season will be 37 per cent up on those paid out four years ago, confirming Addington has awoken from its slumber of the previous decade.
This year's Cup is already shaping as one of the strongest in the last decade, with age group heroes Changeover, Gotta Go Cullen and Monkey King all being set for the November 13 thriller.
They could be joined by the last two Cup winners, Flashing Red and Mainland Banner as well as last season's Auckland Cup winner Mi Muchacho and veteran warhorse Sly Flyin. The list could also contain Tuherbs, Tribute, Awesome Armbro and Classic Cullen along with forgotten open class talent Baileys Dream.
