Jumps racing looks set to provide what is a rarity these days — a grand final at Te Rapa next month.
While most sports have a final or finals, New Zealand thoroughbred racing doesn’t have many season-ending, champion-crowning races.
The Group 1 Guineas races come too early in the season for that, the Derby and Oaks are great races but often also lead in to more lucrative Australian targets, while our best 2-year-old racing often feels like it is over quickly.
The two New Zealand races that come closest are the Auckland Cup, which neatly wraps up staying summer, and the BCD Sprint at Te Rapa, which can often decide whether the Railway or Telegraph winner is our best sprinter.
But this year’s Great Northern Steeplechase at Te Rapa on September 17 is shaping as everything a grand final should be. It is our richest and most prestigious jumping race, is season-ending and it should have Saturday’s Grand National winner West Coast up against the horse who may be the best jumper, The Cossack.