It was cruel luck for the connections of Auckland Reactor when he reopened a wound below his coronet band at 9.30am yesterday and blood flowed. He was doing light work during an inspection by stewards of the Racing Integrity Unit and their appointed veterinarian.
Auckland Reactor had been monitored by officials after he sustained the injury in the Ashburton Flying Stakes on October 22.
It was late in proceedings. Co-trainer Mark Purdon had already given him 10 minutes of light work and Auckland Reactor looked 100%.
"He switched from a pace to a trot and over-reached," Purdon said.
"He couldn't have trained any better on Sunday."
Purdon and co-trainer Grant Payne are left with Vi Et Animo and Highview Tommy in the race.
Vi Et Animo, to be driven by Natalie Rasmussen, won the Methven Cup two starts back.
Flashing Red won the Methven Cup before his second New Zealand Cup win 2007.
Highview Tommy, who ran ninth last year, hinted at a return to form when fourth in the Kaikoura Cup eight days ago.
He has won the Invercargill and Tuapeka Cups over the distance of 3200m.
Smoken Up has tightened to $2.50 from $2.80 in final field betting with the NZ TAB. Smiling Shard is second favourite at $5, ahead of Terror To Love ($5.50).
Monkey King, winner of the race the past two years, is at $10. The 9yr-old has disappointed in two races since his fresh-up win in the Hannon Memorial free-for-all at Oamaru. He also performed below his best in the Cup trial at Addington on Wednesday.
"He is going better than ever for a cup tilt," Lance Justice, the trainer-driver of Smoken Up, said.
He had just worked the gelding on the shell track at the Woodend Beach stable of David and Catherine Butt. He jogged and cantered Smoken Up.
He has the horse stabled at the nearby Ohoka property of Katie Carville, where he has stayed previously.
Smoken Up finished third to Monkey King and Bettor's Strike in the 2009 New Zealand Cup and second to Monkey King last year.
"The last couple of years have been a learning curve for me with the race. There is much awareness of the day and the driving is aggressive."
Justice said Ohoka was a good base.
"It just suits him to stay at Ohoka. He has a paddock and a couple of ponies to play with," Justice said.
The relaxed environment has been ideal after 15 hours of travelling from Melbourne, arriving early on Sunday.
"He had a seven-hour stopover in Auckland and Richard Brosnan took him out to Ardmore for a walk and a pick of grass between flights."
Justice said Smoken Up was a seasoned traveller and ate three apples on the Melbourne-Auckland leg of the flight.
Justice is taking a positive attitude to Smoken Up being beaten at his last start in the Queensland Pacing Championship. He finished second to Mr Feelgood.
"The McCarthys had a lot of firepower in that race and I may have fallen into their game plan.
"It is not such a bad thing. It would have given him 12 wins in a row and gets the unlucky 13 off my back for Addington."
Smoken Up has won his five other races in a fresh preparation so he lacks nothing on the score of seasoned condition.
"He [Smoken Up] deserves to win a big race in New Zealand."
Justice is not bitter at Smoken Up facing disqualification from the Interdominion Pacing Final at Alexandra Park in April.
He has maintained his innocence in administering a substance to Smoken Up which resulted in the horse returning a positive test to dimethyl sulphoxide.
His position is supported by the Judicial Control Authority representatives who heard the charge. Their verdict of charge proven reflected the absolute liability clause in the rules regarding a trainer presenting a horse to race drug-free.
"It is hard to be labelled with a substance I have had nothing to do with. It is a wake-up call that everything should tighten up with security in New Zealand."
The New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club will provide a security guard for Smoken Up today to ensure he is off limits to the public.
"Some of the owners of the horse said they would never come back to New Zealand but my argument that we have done nothing wrong carried the day in the end."
