By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
Within minutes of each other, New Zealand’s two outstanding four-year-olds Marketplace and Got The Chocolates again confirmed last night what everyone knew – they are the sport’s next superstars in this country. Both winning Group races, one at Addington – one at Alexandra Park, in very different circumstances. But both with authority.
At Addington, the Regan Todd-trained Marketplace fittingly did it in the Group 2 Commodore Hotel Coca Cola Superstars Championship. He never looked anything other than a winner. From the perfect draw (1) driver Craig Ferguson and Marketplace strolled to the lead. With no-one keen to take on the champ the field dawdled their way through the middle stages and then sprinted home.
When he had to respond Marketplace rattled home in 54.8 (last 800) and the last 400 in 26.5 to win by three quarters of a length from a fast finishing It’s Tough.His overall time for the 2600 m (mobile) was a sedate 3:19.0, nearly 13 seconds slower than Vessem’s winning time in the race last year. It was his 13th win in 23 starts (and nearly $1m in stakes).
In contrast Got The Chocolates’ win in the Group 1 Dawson Harford New Zealand Messenger (2700m) in 3:13.8 was pure explosiveness. It was the second fastest Messenger ever, behind Majestic Cruiser’s 3:13.1 in 2022. To come from three back the fence to round up dual New Zealand Cup winner Swayzee and clear out by four lengths was a spectacular effort.
His sectionals though were marginally slower than Marketplace’s (Last 800 – 55 secs, last 400 – 27.2 secs vs 54.8/26.5). Trained by Robert and Jenna Dunn, and driven by John, he has now won 13 from 23 with stakes of nearly $750,000.
So where does that leave harness racing’s newest rivalry?
Their three-year-old battles were epic though this year they won’t clash again in the short-term at least. Got The Chocolates is headed back to Canterbury and a freshen up after winning five from six this year while Todd is leaning towards an Australian campaign with Marketplace, and more specifically the Rising Sun in Brisbane in July.
While many would want to see the pair duke it out sooner rather than later, all signs point to “Marketplace vs Got The Chocolates 2026” being worth the wait.