KEY POINTS:
Things are looking up for injured dual New Zealand Cup hero Flashing Red.
The champion stayer has been battling an infection in a leg which was life-threatening two weeks ago but he has made steady progress in the past few days.
His trainer Stu Hunter even nominated the 10-year-old for the Interdominions but admits Flashing Red will struggle to be there as he needs at least a few more weeks of rest before he can start work again.
Auckland racing fans will be the big winners from a decision by the trainers of New Zealand's best pacers who have turned their backs on the Interdominions.
None of New Zealand's big three in the pacing ranks - Changeover, Monkey King or Baileys Dream - have been nominated for the annual transtasman harness racing festival which culminates in a $750,000 final on March 1.
And of the 11 pacers who were nominated, when entries closed yesterday, few are good enough to make the trip, suggesting New Zealand will have its smallest pacing representation at a Moonee Valley Interdominion in two decades. The reasons for the lack of interest from Kiwi trainers are varied, ranging from concerns over equine influenza to a lack of depth in our open-class ranks.
But the main factor keeping Monkey King and Baileys Dream home is the fact the $400,000 Auckland Cup is just six days after the Interdominion Final.
To attempt both in any normal season would be incredibly tough, with the equine influenza quarantine restrictions likely to be in place by March it will be impossible.
While nominating Monkey King and Baileys Dream wouldn't have signalled a commitment to go to Melbourne, their managing owner Robert Famularo was keen to show his loyalty to the Auckland Trotting Club by keeping his superstars home.
"The club have been very good to us and racing is going well here so we are happy to stay home for the Auckland Cup instead," said Famularo, who owns Cavalla Bloodstock.
Ironically, Monkey King will end up starting in the Flying Mile at Cambridge on January 4 which is the only northern race that provides automatic entry to the Interdominion semi-finals on February 23.
He was to have raced on Friday in the Manukau Cup and then in the Franklin Cup on December 31 but had a minor setback recently which saw those races taken off his agenda.
"It was just a little bug and he is fine now but he missed enough work to bypass the two staying races," said trainer Steven Reid.
Changeover is still spelling after his long year so was never a chance to go to the Interdominions and is also likely to miss the Auckland Cup in favour of the four-year-old feature races later in the term.
Off the 11 pacers nominated, only Tribute and Foreal look certain to make the trip. ,
While the pacing series will lack genuine Kiwi firepower our domination of the trotting series looks set to continue. Trotter of the Year, One Over Kenny, heads the 11 nominations for the trotting series with Mountbatten, Houdini Star and Galleons Sunset.
