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Colt Thirty One was the right horse in the right place at the right time to swoop in and claim the 3SH Swan Hill Pacing Cup, and didn’t the locals love it.
Free beer flowed on-course courtesy of generous owner Kevin Seymour making good on a pledge after the Queenslander picked off leader Tam Major and then second-placed San Carlo in his final strides to salute for trainer-driver Grant Dixon.
“Tonight we only just got there, obviously the run of the race was San Carlo,” Dixon told Trots Vision post-race. “It was great to just get up and win, I hope he improves a little bit from that run and we can keep pressing on with our campaign.”
Dixon said Victorians would likely see plenty more of Colt Thirty One, who will be directed towards the COGS 4YO and 5YO Championship at Tabcorp Park Melton on November 9, a $75,000 Group 2 that will likely see him clash with Emma Stewart’s returning star Ride High.
Dixon said the championship had been “pencilled in”, and “probably a run” before then ahead of a potential campaign over the Tasman.
“We are hoping to go over to New Zealand, but it just depends how we are going at the point of the time to go over,” Dixon said. “We’ve nominated for New Zealand, we will do the second nominations on Tuesday, acceptances and then we will go from there.”
Certainly confidence is high after Colt Thirty One clawed past San Carlo in the closing stages of Friday night’s cup, the third of the Trots Country Cups Championship.
As expected, Dixon eased to the back of the field off the gate and would have been thrilled to see Chris Alford show aggression with Tam Major early, holding out San Carlo’s initial charge with Rebecca Bartley easing her favourite to leader’s back after 400m of the 2790m cup.
They settled into single file until San Carlo was the first to move wide just under two laps from home, the pace quickening for 29.3 and 29.1-second first and second quarters.
Colt Thirty One loomed to San Carlo’s back in a 26.8 third quarter as the favourite eye-balled the leader Tam Major, clawing over him with 150 metres to go only to surrender the lead on the line to the diving victor.
The 28.7-second final quarter saw the first two separated by only a head, with Tam Major just four metres further back in third and Shelby Bromac a competitive fourth. The quality was reinforced by the final mile rate of 1:57.5, only two-tenths of a second outside the track record set by Menin Gate last year.
“Little fields like that are always tricky,” Dixon told Trots Vision post-race. “You had your thoughts on how it was going to pan out, thankfully it was aggressive up front, which enabled us to be able to win.
“He’s always done us proud. He’s always put his hand up and had a good crack when he goes to the races.”
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