A gutsy front-running performance by Illawong Barmah broke the Muscles Mass gelding’s string of seconds and reaffirmed his status as a leading TAB Breeders Crown contender.

In the first of the Skyvalley @ Aldebaran Park 2YO trotting fillies’ heats, trainer-driver Jodi Quinlan led from gate four and, with the exception of Utopia who was hot on her heels, found separation from the chasing pack in a 28.7-second third quarter.

The chasers closed in late, but Illawong Barmah had enough left in the tank to record a 1.9-metre win ahead of Chris Svanosio’s fast-finishing Watts Up Majestic, crossing in a brisk 2:01.2 mile rate that was only seven-tenths outside Ultimate Stride’s age-sex track record.

Owned and bred by Kaye Hartnett, the winner is by Muscle Mass out of Illawong Blush, the unraced dam of Illawong Byron ($173,310). Today brought up his third career win from seven starts, in which he has never finished worse than second.

He marches into the November 21 Breeders Crown final full of confidence along with second-placed Watts Up Majestic, Kyvalley Hotspur (third), Parisian Artiste (fourth), Bromwich (fifth) and Central Otago (sixth). Highly-rated Utopia tired late and finished seventh, and will be hopeful of securing the emergency spot.

Dont Care also advanced to the final with an impressive late dash in the second heat to upstage fancied pair Have No Fear and Aldebaran Zeus, who finished second and third respectively.

For trainer Kate Hargreaves and reinsman Alex Ashwood, the winner was nestled nicely on the tail of Anthony Butt's favourite, Have No Fear, taking advantage when the field broke open to ease to the outside and mow down the front-runner.

It was an impressive turnaround for the Used To Me gelding, who's by My Dreamweaver, having won on debut but broken gait in three of his five starts since.

There were no such problems today to the joy of breeder Yabby Dam Farms and co-owners Hargreaves, Brian Cairns, Joel and Anna Mathews, Matthew Delzotto, Brooke Palfreyman, Darren Carroll, Kevin Weidenbach, Annetto Mifsud and Thomas Cairns.

Also advancing to the final were Have No Fear, Aldebaran Zeus, Bullion Harry, Here Comes Kyvalley and Tennerson.

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