There were sparks flying at Echuca on Friday night as track records were broken in the two features at Frank Ryan Raceway.
Trainer David Aiken teamed up with son and driver Josh to secure the $35,000 Moama Bowling Club Echuca Pacing Cup with Malcolms Rhythm, moments after Stress Factor (pictured right) was declared the winner of the $14,500 J A Connelly Crystal Bucket for Brent Lilley and Daryl Douglas following a protest.
Alex Ashwood, the driver of Kate Hargreaves-trained Downunder Barkers, claimed that Stress Factor had gained an unfair advantage in the run home by going inside the marker pegs, but stewards eventually decided Lilley's six-year-old gelding should keep hold of the race.
It was a deserved victory for the dual Group 1 winner, who had finished runner-up in the Crystal Bucket in 2020. And it looked as though he might have to settle for that same position again on Friday when Downunder Barkers shot for home, but he was able to knuckle down and reel in the front-runner with a sprint lane dash to win by close to 3m.
The 2:02:5min mile rate lowered the 2530m standing start record held by Pantzup (2:03.3min).
After the protest hearing, Douglas went straight out on to the track to drive stablemate Sicario and flew the gate to lead almost every inch of the way in the Echuca Pacing Cup.
Spoiling the party was Malcolms Rhythm, who was sent forward three-wide approaching the bell and was able to duck in behind Sicario before grabbing him in the shadows of the post. Last-start Charlton Pacing Cup winner Like A Wildfire ran a huge race to finish second - beaten just a head -relegating Sicario to third.
"I had to get into him a little bit at the 600m, but when you ask him, he finds. Those races where he can build into a race, he's just awesome," Josh Aiken said of his horse.
"It's also awesome for (owner) Domenic Martello. He's a great supporter of the industry and to win in these colours is even more special.
"They are hard races to win, country cups. You just look at the horses, trainers and drivers that win these country cups and it's just great to be on those lists."
The mile rate of 1:57:0min over the 2560m was just a shade quicker than Stormfortheboys' effort at Echuca in 2017.
Malcolms Rhythm, a five-year-old, has now won 11 races and climbed to the top of the Trots Country Cups Championship leaderboard.