Mister Smartee's connections after winning the 2025 Nullabor Presentation
WESTERN Australian officials will seize on the demise of one of NZ’s richest pacing races to make next year’s $1.25 million Group 1 Nullarbor by far the best in its short but exciting history.
News the $NZ1 million Race by Sport Nation would not be run again in Cambridge next April has been met with huge disappointment by owners, trainers and fans throughout Australia and NZ.
But it has opened the door for WA to propel the Nullarbor to a new level.
Previously the Nullarbor and Cambridge race essentially clashed, just a week apart, and in different countries, so contesting both was almost impossible.
“While we feel for everyone involved with the Cambridge race, this is an opportunity for us and we want to make the most of it,” Racing & Wagering WA’s harness manager Cam Brown said.
“We’ve had some superstars come over in the four years we’ve run the Nullarbor, but now we’re the only really big prize money option in April, we will be chasing all the biggest names for next year.”
Leap To Fame, winner of the past two Cambridge slot races, and champion mare Captains Mistress, who upstaged Leap To Fame in last month’s Brisbane Inter Dominion final, are top of the wish list.
“And we will be targeting the Kiwis, too,” Brown said. “Even with Got The Chocolates sidelined, they’ve got some real stars emerging over there like Marketplace and The Lazarus Effect. We’d love to get one of them across.
“There’s so much history in that Trans-Tasman rivalry, we’ve seen it here in a few of the recent Perth Inter Dominions with Lazarus and Smolda winning, and we’d love to spark it up again in the Nullarbor.
“The best part of April for us is that the horses get two bites at the cherry. We’ve got the $300,000 Group 1 Fremantle Cup, WA’s biggest staying race, run a week after the Nullarbor.
“Horses who come can run for $1.55 million in prize money in the space a week. There’s not many places in the world where you can do that.”
Brown said RWWA had also worked hard to address travel concerns between Perth and Australia’s eastern seaboard.
“That’s something we can give owners and trainers surety about,” he said. “RWWA coordinates a charter flight from either Sydney or Melbourne to Perth, where it leaves from will be finalised closer to race time, and the cost is capped at $10,000 per horse.
“We have also confirmed flights will be available after the Fremantle Cup, ensuring horses can safely stay on for that race and get home soon after.”
The Nullarbor is a slot race with 10 slots available at $70,000, meaning RWWA injects an additional $550,000 into the total prize money.
“The Expression of Interest document for slots goes out on Monday and this time it only requires a one-year commitment,” Brown said.
Significantly, interstate raiders have won three of the four Nullarbors with Betterzippit (2023), Catch A Wave (2024) and Max Delight this year.
The Gary Hall Sr-trained Mister Smartee became the only local winner in 2025.
PHOTO: Pacepix
