The new pin-up boy of pacing Akuta is likely to miss the rest of this year as one of the first major absentees caused by the new realignment of the racing season.
Akuta was breathtaking coming from last to obliterate his male juvenile rivals by 10 lengths at the Harness Jewels at Cambridge in June, a performance that has many anointing him as our next superstar.
That star will almost certainly not be shining at Addington on New Zealand Cup day though, as Akuta is going to miss the Sires’ Stakes to be given time to prepare for a busier than usual 2022.
“He is a big horse and with the seasons changing we didn’t want to rush him back for only one big race in the next few months,” says trainer Hayden Cullen.
“We are still firming up that decision but I am sure we will give him time so you won’t be seeing him in the Sires’ Stakes unless something changes.”
>> READ MORE: NZ Jewels: Akuta wows with ‘special’ Cambridge win
Akuta was as short as $1.40 with TAB NZ to win that Sires’ Stakes before the market was suspended on Monday. When it re-opened, there were huge changes as not only does Akuta look set to miss the Sires’ Stakes, but second favourite Cosmic Major, the only horse to have beaten Akuta in five starts, will also not be there. He suffered an injury that will put him out until next year.
That saw Willow Bay the new $4 favourite over Franco Indie at $4.50 and Major Perry at $5 in a very open market.
Akuta is the first high-profile pacer to have his plans altered by the massive changes unfolding in harness racing that could see huge shake-ups to the carnivals.
Harness Racing New Zealand has moved the official birthday of NZ-bred standardbred (harness) horses to January 1 to bring it in line with Australia and is now going through planning and workshops on what that will mean for the racing calendar.
There is already one major change confirmed and that is that the new Harness Millions meeting at Alexandra Park will be on February 12 to highlight yearling sales week. It will now be Akuta’s first big target in what is a huge win for the inaugural meeting.
Because Akuta now turns three on January 1, all the Derbys and other Group 1 events he will be eligible to race in will be next year – another reason his connections aren’t keen to rush him back.
The change of harness horses’ birth dates and the racing season might confuse those who actually care and they are made harder to understand by the fact the actual racing season can’t move from its August 1 to July 31 term because that would require a change of the Racing Act. And that isn’t going to happen any time soon.
So while the actual racing season as defined by law will remain the same, HRNZ is realigning its racing season programming to start January 1 and run for the calendar year.
While that is being implemented, it means races like the Sires’ Stakes on Cup Day at Addington are oddities in that the same horses who raced in the two-year-old Sires’ Stakes last May are technically still now two until January 1 and will race in it again as juveniles.
Once the code gets to January 1 those double-ups will correct themselves, but it does leave the traditional races run between now and New Year’s Day in an unusual limbo.
All the changes won’t really affect New Zealand Cup week at Addington, with the iconic open class pacing and trotting races to still go ahead, and as much as purists would love to see Akuta in the Sires’ Stakes, his absence could convince more northern trainers to make the trip south.
The other major change being tipped for the realignment of the racing programmes is moving the Auckland Cup to May, but these decisions are still to be confirmed by HRNZ and the clubs involved.
