Post race celebrations for the connections of Romanoff
- Martin Collins New Zealand Cup® Day was dominated not so much by the equine performances on the track as much as the weather bomb which hit Riccarton Park. Following the running of race 4 a severe, dramatic, and spectacular hailstorm sent punters and fans scurrying for cover, coated the racecourse in white, blocked drains, flooded the jockey’s room, and delayed the programme by a race. Fortunately, the jockeys after inspecting the condition of the track deemed it safe to ride and that eventuated with the programme being completed albeit 41 minutes later than planned. Rain fell for the later part which did not make things comfortable for the sellout crowd of 15,000 many of whom left early.
- The conditions also saw the going downgraded from Heavy8 to Heavy9 following race 4.
- The famous “Fletcher colours” were carried to victory by the narrowest of margins in the days feature, The Group 1 Al Basti Equiworld NZ 2000 Guineas® when ROMANOFF defeated his more favoured stable mate AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, SHOMA, and the filly LITTLE BLACK DRESS. Brazilian jockey Bruno Queiroz rode the Pam Gerard trained gelding. The time of 1-40.38 was the third slowest in the 53 runnings of the race and the slowest since SIR AVON ran 1-41.69 in 1980.
- The Kevin Myers trained BRUNO relished the conditions to win the Martin Collins sponsored 162nd running of the New Zealand Cup to win the time-honoured event by 3½ lengths. NOTABADSPILLANE and CANEROC ran second and third. Top class rider and the south’s best Tina Comignaghi partnered the five-year-old mare who took her record to 7 wins and $487,000 from only 30 starts. The time of 3-33.05 was the slowest since 1952 when CONCLUSION took 3-37. 3/5 to win for the great trainer Eric Ropiha and equally great jockey Bill Broughton.
- The other feature on the card was the Lindauer Stewards Stakes won by INFLAMED for the wonderful Wingatui training partnership of Brian and Shane Anderton. Riccarton apprentice Donovan Cooper recorded his biggest win in the saddle to sit third on the national apprentice jockey premiership. For good measure INFLAMED is owned by Brian and the estate of his late wife Lorraine.
- Kevin Myers won the last three races on the programme with ISLAND HOP, owned by Peter Grieve and Canterbury Jockey Club Life Member Barry Thomas, bringing the curtain down on New Zealand Cup Meeting 2025.
- Over the 32 races which comprised the 2025 New Zealand Cup Meeting Kevin Myers was the leading trainer with seven wins ahead of the Matthew & Michael Pitman partnership with three and Lisa Latta, Lance Robinson, and David Walsh all with two wins.
- Tina Comignaghi led the jockeys with five winners over Joe Doyle, Bruno Queiroz, Dan Stackhouse all of whom rode three winners.