From the 11th to the 18th November, Christchurch, Canterbury and all New Zealand celebrate together. Starting off with Canterbury South’s Anniversary Day, the week is jam-packed. The New Zealand Trotting Cup is on the 14th. The New Zealand Agricultural Show 2023 is from the 15-17th, and the region’s Canterbury North Anniversary Day is on the 17th. With the New Zealand Cup on the 18th one would think that was enough. But The Grand Tour piles in, with big names from the music industry performing throughout the week.
Christchurch is showing off its many attractions during the New Zealand Cup and Show Week.
©Casey Horney/Unsplash
The Martin Collins NZ Cup
One of the highlights of the week is New Zealand Cup Day at Riccarton Park Racecourse. 3 year old thoroughbreds go head to head over two miles. Saturday the 18th at around 5:30pm the big race will begin. The Martin Collins NZ Cup is the final race of the 2023 NZ Cup Meeting at Riccarton, which goes over three days during show week, the 11th, 15th and 18th.
Riccarton Park’s Canterbury Jockey Club will again host The Ned Fashion in the Field event on NZ Cup Day. Tickets are sold out. Fashionistas and racing lovers booked well in advance to make sure they didn’t miss out. The fashion competition has almost ten prize categories and big sponsorship names. Local woman Eleanor Campbell, who won the 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup’s Best Dressed, will be a judge on the day.
The NZ Trotting Cup
The IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup Day attracts the top trotters from across New Zealand and the globe. It was, until 2022, the highest paying trotting race in New Zealand. The Race by Grins at Cambridge recently took out that honour. Addington’s NZ$1.3 million in stakes and pools for the day’s races is still nothing to sneeze at. $750,000 was reserved for Tuesday’s Trotting Cup race, with Aussie favourite Swayzee taking the grand prize for 2023.
Swayzee, a five-year-old gelding, and driver Cameron Hart were the Aussies from across the pond who beat NZ horse, Akuta. Akuta and Swayzee were two of the favourites for the race. Many liked New Zealand’s Akuta for the win; his trainer, Mark Purdon, has won eight cups. Akuta’s driver has won six cups, including four out of the last nine NZ Trotting Cups. Though Akuta at $2.20 pipped Swayzee for many as the favourite, the Aussie horse came first in the end. Swayzee won from fifteen starters.
The Addington Raceway Cup Week had its own Fashion in the Field event on the 14th, The Crossing Cup Day Fashion Competition. Samuel Schwartfeger took out the 2023 Best Suited and Samara Singh won Best Dressed. They both went home with thousands of dollars in prizes, including an international travel package.
The NZ Agricultural Show
Kids 16 and under go free this year, as their sponsor, Kiwi Gaming Foundation, has chipped in again to help out Kiwi families. The Show started on the 15th this year, and goes for three days, finishing on the Public Holiday on Friday 17th. Thursday will go later into the evening, while the other two days finish up at 5:30pm, Thursday won’t close until 7:30. Food, music and carnival rides will stay open longer. The Arena will have entertainment for the crowd with line dancing.
Over 100,000 visitors are expected to walk through the gates to enjoy the cake baking, baby animals, whip-cracking and wood-chopping events. Potted jams, a BBQ competition, Rare Breeds Display, a Strong Man competition and much more will woo and entertain the crowds. There are over 3,000 competitions this year at The Show.
The Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association is still in charge, though the name of the festival has changed. Volunteers can register through them. The association began in 1863 and is thank fully still going strong today.
