Take A Moment NZ had the Grand Circuit Championship in its keeping long before the Inter Dominion series at Addington. But the Grand Final proved to be far from a pushover, eclipsing the Pacing final that night for drama and atmosphere.

Experienced Christchurch journalist Jeff Scott wrote: “this has been one of the greatest trotting spectacles ever witnessed at Addington.”

Statistically, the trotting gait is not supposed to upstage the pacers on this Night of Nights. But it happened at Adelaide’s 1997 Inter Dominion and again in Sydney four years later.

There are horse enthusiasts in many countries who agree that a trotter in full flight is the most majestic gait in the horse world. And we are increasingly coming to accept there is something special from an Inter Dominion Grand Final for the squaregaiters.

When Take A Moment NZ won the $100,000 Bill Collins Mile at Moonee Valley in December, it elevated the horse into ninth place on the list of all-time winners – a list dominated by Kiwi-breds.

Australasia’s top 10 all-time earners as at that week were: 1- Lyell Creek NZ $2,151,185. 2– Pride Of Petite USA $811,816. 3- Scotch Notch $670,755. 4- Knight Pistol $612,203. 5- Special Force NZ $598,264. 6– Idle Scott NZ. $585,863. 7– Tussle $562,175. 8- Buster Hanover NZ 557,147. 9– Take A Moment NZ $555,616. 10 – Diamond Field NZ $536,607.

Stakemoney tables do no justice for horses that competed in earlier years. This, along with the comparatively short period on the racetrack by Maori’s Idol, does little justice for the finest-ever member of this gait to have graced the scene in Australia.

At the top end of the spectrum, the outstanding Kiwi Lyell Creek NZ has had his bankroll boosted considerably by successful campaigns in Europe and North America.