Racing: Auckland Reactor may miss Cup

Auckland Reactor may try to repeat last season's win in the NZ Free-For-All at Addington. Photo / Simon Baker

Hot favourite Auckland Reactor is set to pull out of the New Zealand Trotting Cup tomorrow.

Trainer Mark Purdon has told Auckland Reactor's syndicate of owners he doesn't want to start in New Zealand's greatest race because of the champ's ongoing standing start problems.

Purdon expects to receive backing for his decision from the North American-based owners tonight and withdraw Auckland Reactor from the Cup tomorrow morning.

"As much as I would love to start him I don't think it is worth the risk," said Purdon.

His fears stem from Auckland Reactor's worsening standing start manners, which reached an all-time low at the Motukarara trials on Saturday, when he was asked to start in four separate heats and galloped wildly away from the tapes in three of them and still botched the other.

"He just doesn't seem happy starting from a stand at all and I think it has now become an issue in his head," said Purdon.

"He is worth too much money to risk him galloping away and hurting himself because he has so many big races ahead of him."

Purdon believes Auckland Reactor's problem is magnified by the fact he would be the favourite for the November 10 race if he did start.

"If he was a normal horse and he missed away and lost 60m at the start you could follow them around or even pull him up.

"But that isn't an option for a horse like him. With so much money on him, we would have to chase the field and that could gut him for no return.

"I have written an email to the owners explaining all of that and once they have a chance to read it overnight I am sure we will be scratching him."

That means Auckland Reactor will follow the same Cup Week programme as last season, the $40,000 free-for-all on Cup Day followed by the $250,000 New Zealand Free-For-All, which he won last year, three days later.

"Then we will be aiming for the Miracle Mile and the Victoria Cup."

After those Australian features his syndicate of owners will meet to decide whether he heads to the United States in December or stays to contest the Interdominions in Sydney in March.

Auckland Reactor's near-certain withdrawal will cost punters tens of thousands as 43 per cent of all bets taken by the TAB in the New Zealand Cup market have been on the great pacer.

That market was suspended on Saturday but reopened at 7 last night with Auckland Reactor included but question marks beside his name.

There is also further confusion over whether Australian hero Blacks A Fake is going to start in the Cup.

The three-time Interdominion champion is the third favourite, after two huge wins in recent weeks but trainer Natalie Rasmussen is leaning toward not bringing him to Addington.

While she could change her mind once Auckland Reactor officially comes out, a Cup start still seems unlikely, meaning the market for the race changed dramatically last night.

Monkey King is the favourite, followed by Changeover, Mr Feelgood and Kiwi Ingenuity, who is being aimed at the Cup after earlier indecision.

She will, however, have only one lead-up race, at Ashburton on Labour Day, so faces a very unorthodox Cup campaign.

Meanwhile, defending Cup champion Changeover will head south today and could continue his build-up at Addington on Friday night.

He and stablemates All Tiger and Awesome Armbro will be nominated for a lowly $11,000 race at Addington after the Franklin Cup Prelude, on the same night at Alexandra Park, was reconfigured.