The pacer will be the only Southland-trained starter in this year’s edition of the great race, but he will have the hearts of many from across the South Island behind him.
Tact McLeod is named after Dynes’ grandniece, the late Charlotte McLeod who died in 2021 aged 9 of neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that starts in early nerve cells.
"It has been a difficult time for the family over the last few years with Charlotte passing," Dynes said.
"We have named all of our horses after her. We already had a Tact Charlotte but we came up with Tact McLeod and we have followed it on from there.
"It is perfect that he has been able to go on to make it to the New Zealand Cup.
"Obviously, our extended family from Ashburton will all be there with us and there will be no shortage of them cheering him on."
Touched by their family’s own cancer journey, Dynes and Proctor have invited harness racing enthusiast Don Rae to enjoy in their special moment.
The couple were contacted by Harness Racing New Zealand’s David DiSomma, who told them of Rae’s cancer battle.
"Don has stage four cancer and it has been his lifelong dream to have a horse in the New Zealand Cup," Dynes said.
"He was actually won Mastermind a few years ago. His specialist subject was the New Zealand Cup.
"Dave rang us knowing about our situation with Charlotte, so we are bringing Don into the ownership of the horse for Cup Day.
"And we will be hosting Don in our party on the day."
The couple are thrilled and a little stunned that they have made it to greatest New Zealand race.
"We are terribly excited. It has been quite an emotional thing to get into the race.
"The way we look at it is that we are just grateful to be there.
"We don’t have any big expectations.
"It just blows our minds that we are going to be in it."
Just by starting in the race, Tact McLeod will add to the achievements of Dynes-bred horses over the past eight decades.
Tact McLeod traces back to the breed’s foundation mare Tactics, the dam of the star pacer of the 1960s in Tactile.
Samantha Ottley will take the reins behind Tact McLeod in the million-dollar New Zealand Cup.
