The Forbury Park Trotting Club's most prestigious race of the season will not be run at tomorrow's Easter Thursday meeting.
The 4 & 5-year-old championship, a 2700m handicap pace, was moved to March/April in 2011 after previously being run in January or February from its inception in 1977.
Master Mood (1986) and Bee Bee Cee (1994) both went on to win the New Zealand Cup later in their careers after winning the Dunedin feature - the only group race to be held at Forbury Park each year.
However, the attraction of just six horses - Crackabella, Southern Pursuit, I'm Full Of Excuses, Tas Man Bromac, Titan Banner and Quick As A Trick - for this year's edition shortly before withdrawals convinced the committee not to proceed with the race.
"At six [nominations], the committee decided it was not appropriate to run it," general manager John Ayoub said.