After weather and race-date changes the Cambridge trials will now take place on Friday 17 December (noms midday 16/12) while the Ellerslie trials will be on Tuesday 21 December (noms midday 20/12). The Ellerslie trials will be capped at 180 runners. Preference for Ellersie will be given to those horses that did not make the original fields at Rotorua on 13 December.