Third Day Review

Sell Out day dominated by Jamie Richards

Cup Day 2020 was dominated by the Jamie Richards Te Akau Racing stable with wins in five of the 12 races. The haul included the days Group 1 feature the Barneswood Farm NZ 1000 Guineas with the Brendan and Jo Lindsay owned KAHMA LASS with stable jockey Opie Bosson aboard. For good measure the stable produced the third placegetter CORBFLOWER BLUE with the Pitman trained MISS TYCOON ROSE splitting the pair.
Bosson and Richards had also combined with AVONALLO to win the Frantic Bloodstock Welcome Stakes earlier in the day.
A rousing rendition of the national anthem hyped the crowd prior to the 157^th running of the Christchurch Casino sponsored New Zealand Cup and the race itself did not disappoint. The Chris Gibbs trained DRAGON STORM had been in the care of Terri Rae after travelling from Whangarei to win the 3000 metre Road to the Jericho three weeks earlier and his staying prowess was again to the fore beating LINCOLN KING by the narrowest of margins. HURRY CANE for master trainer of stayers Raymond Connors ran third in the ‘two mile’ feature.
All Blacks star Beauden Barrett had a better day at Riccarton Park than he had on the rugby field latter in thy day with the horse he part owns BEAUDZ WELL won the Teltrac Premier for Hall of Fame trainer John Wheeler. It would not be ‘Cup Week’ with the Taranaki conditioner and his entourage and they rarely go home empty handed.
Northern stable reversed the trend of the first two days recording nine wins to the souths three. Overall however the count went to the south 21 to 14.
Sam Wynne and Opie Bosson shared the riding honours with three wins apiece.
In a first, tickets to the day sold out about 2pm on the Thursday when the limit of 15,000 people was reached.