By Adam Hamilton 

The last three New Zealand Cup winners are making news across the ditch.

Champion stayer Swayzee, who went back-to-back in the 2023-24 NZ Cups, creates huge interest as he looks to break by far the longest drought of his career with Jason Grimson, in the $40,000 Shirley Turnbull Memorial (2790m) at Bathurst on Boxing Night.

And last month’s NZ Cup winner Kingman set the track alight at Menangle on Wednesday as he prepares to return from a freshen-up.

Kingman hasn’t raced since adding the Group 1 Christian Cullen to his NZ Cup raid at Addington on November 21.

“He’s ready to go, but we’re happy to keep him ticking along and go first-up into the Bendigo Cup (January 10),” trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said.

“He goes well fresh. It was almost four weeks between runs from the Victoria Cup to his NZ Cup win.

“We’re also mindful when he goes to Victoria, he’ll have three runs in as many weeks.”

That’s because Kingman is chasing a new $1 million bonus across six Victorian “Cups” in January and February.

The bonus will go to any pacer who can win four of the six races, but they must include the last and biggest, the $250,000 Group 1 Hunter Cup at Melton on February 14.

McCarthy and owner Mick Harvey are hoping Kingman can win the first three legs – Bendigo, Shepparton (January 17) and Ballarat (January 24) – then have a short break before chasing the bonus in the Hunter Cup.

Swayzee’s plans will be clearer after he clashes with the much-improved Captains Knock for the second time in as many starts in the Shirley Turnbull.

The Brad Hewitt-trained Captains Knock made it six successive wins when he worked to the front and won a 1609m free-for-all at Menangle last Saturday week.

Swayzee was first-up in the race, driven quietly by his standards and hit the line strongly late for third over the unsuitably short mile trip.

The stretch to 2790m at Bathurst suits and Swayzee won last year’s Shirley Turnbull by almost 18m in a record-breaking 1min54.9sec mile rate.

But the rising eight-year-old has been beaten at his past five starts with his last win being way back on March 15 in the Renshaw Cup at Menangle.

It would be great to see him return to his best at Bathurst and add another dimension to the upcoming Victoria Cups’ series.

Especially with Leap To Fame staying in Queensland and only making a late raid on Victoria. He will target the $150,000 Group 1 Cranbourne Cup on January 31 and the Hunter Cup.

It also looks likely reigning Miracle Mile champion Don Hugo will totally bypass Melbourne.

Now confirmed with the Entain slot in the $1.25 million Nullarbor at Gloucester Park on April 17, Don Hugo is likely to stay in NSW and focus on defending his Miracle Mile crown on March 14 before heading to Perth.

“He might go to the Goulburn Cup on January 2, but we may also opt just to pick and choose some free-for-alls at Menangle instead,” McCarthy said.

“I’m mindful by the time we got the Cambridge slot race last year, he wasn’t at his top after so much hard racing, so I’ll do things differently this time.”

If Don Hugo goes to Goulburn, it could see a ripper clash with local Captains Knock, who is expected to back-up quickly from Bathurst.

“We’ve worked out he just thrives on the racing and it’s showing in his form,” Hewitt said.