Rich Alexandra Park race facing axe

Harness Racing Copy That winning the New Zealand Cup at Addington Raceway 08 November 2022 picture supplied credit: David Di Somma FREE FOR EDITORIAL USE

The richest harness race of the holiday season is in danger of being scrapped to leave Alexandra Park’s New Year’s Eve meeting without a major pacing event.

The $50,000 Franklin Cup was to be the biggest race of the popular meeting and will feature dual New Zealand Cup winner Copy That — if it can get off the ground but that is looking increasingly unlikely.

There were only four entries for the 2700m standing start at the original nomination closure time on Tuesday, so the ATC have extended nominations for all races until 9am on Wednesday.

Copy That, who would start off the 30m maximum backmark in the Cup, is joined by Kango, Hot And Treacherous and Alta Wiseguy in the original entries, so there is no shortage of class, just opposition.

Phone calls on Tuesday to trainers with horses in the same grade who would fit into the Cup failed to persuade any to move their horses across from other races or late nominate, so the club will wait to see if any new entries come in on Wednesday.

They will then contact Harness Racing New Zealand to see how many horses are needed to hold the race, with that number likely to be six.

Copy That’s recent run of stunning victories off handicaps as big as 70m will not be helping attract opposition, while after being radically reshaped, the Christmas carnival has attracted fewer southerners to Alexandra Park.

The New Year’s Eve meeting used to be one of the highlights of the year, hosting the Auckland Cup, National Trot, Sales Series Pace and Sires’ Stakes Fillies Championship.

The $40,000 Northern Mares Classic is almost no hope after attracting just two entries, so the feature of the meeting may end up being the $50,000 Greenlane Cup for the trotters.

One big gun who won’t be starting in that is Majestic Man, with the multiple Group 1 winner injuring himself on Saturday after getting a leg caught in a gate.”

He was mucking around with some of his mates in the paddock next door and got his leg caught in a gate,” says trainer Phil Williamson.

”It is nothing serious but cost him two days’ work, so he will miss this week, but I am confident he can start at Cambridge next week.”