Someone had forgotten to dismantle it after the previous race. Surprisingly all jumped the fence without mishap, the race being won by a filly named EVE.  The stewards cancelled the race which was re-run the next day, again EVE being the winner.

NZ Cup Nostalgia

Nowadays, many of our best horses are away chasing the big money in Australia at this time of the year, but a New Zealand Cup is still a cup that owners want to have on their mantelpiece. It goes back a long way.  Originally called the C.J.C. Handicap it was first run in 1865 and run on the then three mile Riccarton racecourse. It was re-named the NZ Cup in 1882.
The first Cup contested on the new reduced one and a half mile circuit, (2400m), in 1874 was won by TAMBOURINE, owned, trained and ridden by Dan O'Brien, the man who owned CARBINE in his early career.
The first real sensation in the race was in 1887 when G.G. Stead's LOCHIEL won, sending most of New Zealand's bookmakers broke.  Pre-post betting had Stead's very good three-year-old MAXIM as favourite.  LOCHIEL had been in Australia not showing great form but he came home and won the cup at generous odds.
The 1904 winner, GRAND RAPIDS, had only four starts as a four-year-old for a maiden win.  Next season two wins from only two starts including the Cup.  I think the least raced Cup winner ever.
NIGHTMARCH'S win in 1930 carrying 60kg was a great achievement. The year 1934 saw an all the way win for Southlander, STREETON.   It was a change of luck for jockey W. Jenkins.  Earlier that year he had suffered a suspension when crashing into another horse during a preliminary at Geraldine.  The only such case I've heard of.
There was an historic milestone in 1941 when Neville Vaughan became the first jockey to ride all three Auckland, Wellington and N.Z. Cup winners in the one season when he took the NZ and Auckland Cups on HAPPY ENDING and PIASTRE at Auckland.
The year 1943 saw a remarkable finish when four horses flashed across the line almost together.  CLASSFORM won from DON QUEX, REPRESENTATIVE and PALFREY.  It was in pre-photo-finish days but still photos taken make it appear that fourth placed PALFREY should have been called in first.
Then in 1946 outsider CATTERICK BRIDGE won at odds over a century with Joe McFarlane on board.  The only disappointment, Joe told me years later, was the ‘sling.'  £2!
It was a very wet day when CONCLUSION and Bill Broughton took 3:37 to get the two miles.  The owner, Mr. F. Twist, had just won ‘TATTS, so his luck was in.
These are just a few of the stories of long ago NZ Cups.

Wise Choice Seton

Besides good judgement, you also need some good luck in racing.  Of the many sons of SIR TRISTRAM Patrick Hogan could have chosen to be a worthy replacement, he chose ZABEEL.  Something similar happened nearly 70 years ago when Trelawney Studmaster Seton Otway was offered four stallions to stand at stud.  They were LEIGHTON, BULANDSHAR, RINGMASTER and FOXBRIDGE.  The first three all turned out to be quite successful but FOXBRIDGE topped the NZ Sires' Premiership for two successive seasons from 1940-41.   He died aged 27 in 1957.

"It'll Cost Racing" Said Rob

Bless him.  When Lotto started Sir Robert Muldoon called for its abolition as he said it was certain to have a damaging effect on our racing industry, which, apart from employing over 30,000 in various capacities, earned a lot of money in exporting horses.

McCarten Brothers:  Naturals

Maurice McCarten will be remembered as one of our best jockeys.  He eventually went to Australia where he won many big races and also became a top trainer.  He had a brother, O. McCarten, who at Opunake in 1917, rode five winners in a row and was beaten a head in his sixth ride.

TAB Put On Hold

The first possibility for off-course betting in NZ was in 1937 when the Racing Conference commissioned top racing writer, Stan McEwen, to report on the betting shop set up in South Australia.  At the time a Private Members Bill was to be tabled in Parliament.  If the bill had been passed, it would have established the TAB here.  No further action was taken and it took nearly 20 more years before the TAB arrived.

Top Fee For Soult

The top service fee for a stallion in NZ in 1909 was 75 guineas for SOULT.  He was the leading sire for five successive seasons from the 1908/09 term.

Musket No Carriage-Horse Sire

MUSKET, sire of CARBINE and many other top liners, was foaled in England in 1867 and imported to NZ in 1878.  He died in 1886.  He was originally imported to sire ‘carriage' horses in the Waikato.

Absurd One Of All-Time Great Sires

ABSURD won five NZ Sires' premierships after being imported from England by Wanganui's Koatanui Stud proprietor Geo. Currie during World War I.  Although he predominately sired sprinters he had a great stud record.  His 140 starters raced in this country from the 1918-19 season until 1934-35.  They won 664 races from 4773 starts. He had 113 winners and his percentage of 13.91% wins to total starts and 80.71% winners to starters places him very high on our All Time list.

No Defaulting At Any Stage