Tasco Petroleum Mildura Pacing Cup heats begin tonight as Victoria’s biggest country trots carnival gets under way in the Sunraysia.
San Carlo is the headline act in this year’s Cup heats and would be No.1 if they were seeded.
The eight-year-old gelding won an Inter Dominion heat in December 2017 and has since snared the Decron Cranbourne Gold Cup, United Petroleum Yarra Valley Pacing Cup and PETstock Bendigo Pacing Cup.
His one prior journey to Mildura came in October last year when he scored a 5.5-metre win in the Italian Cup Pace when “only about 90 per cent” according to driver Bec Bartley.
He beat Mymatethomo and Brocks Territory on that occasion when Brocks Territory led and San Carlo parked.
Tonight Brocks Territory meets the champ again, the local Luke Watson-trained six-year-old drawing the pole.
The early speed duel is always pivotal at Mildura, an 810m track with no sprint lane, where it’s almost always better to be in front at the closing bend.
Lucky Lombo (barrier 4) produced an extraordinary front-running display on February 20 to handle Gollahman and Regardless in 1:56.1 over the sprint trip at Mildura with Zac Phillips copping plenty of heat in the run.
Murranji Track (barrier 3 tonight) was caught three-wide for the last lap and wilted late to be beaten 32m on that occasion.
If Phillips bullies his way forward again on the Adam Kelly-trained seven-year-old, he potentially gives himself some blowout chance based on the impressive nature of his one start here around this unique circuit. It is important to factor in they’re almost running an extra kilometre in the cup heats than the sprint trip and Lucky Lombo is yet to win in this distance range.
Brallos Pass is the other key to the speed duel.
Drawn gate six tonight, many believe the Mark Watson-trained six-year-old has the gate speed to fly to the early lead from the top of the track.
Will Ellen Tormey hit the go button off the arm?
Truth is the last-start Ouyen Cup winner has the class to qualify (finish top five) whether he leads or not, so there’s a school of thought that he won’t come out all guns blazing given San Carlo and to a lesser extent Emain Macha will most likely be on the move early doors from their back-row draws.
Emain Macha was enormous winning the Wedderburn Cup three starts back when he broke the track record defeating Perspective. He lost no admirers in subsequent SA Pacing Cup and Terang Cup performances – last-start at Dalvui Raceway he came in 10th but worked like a Trojan in the run.
It all boils down to Bartley having many options – and a fearsome level of respect from her adversaries – aboard San Carlo, making that gelding clearly the horse to beat.
Of the others in the second heat, South Australian Ideal World is developing a ripping record with 14 wins from 43 starts but, aside from his standing-start SA form, he’s stepping up big time here off a C2-C4 win three runs back.
And fellow border hopper Macterra Lad is first-up since November 2017, so obvious question marks are there, though his trial form of late for Scott Ewen suggests he’s up and about.
The first of the Cup heats sees Perspective – the only horse that can displace Buster Brady from the top of the $25,000 Trots Country Cups Championship should he win both the Mildura Cup and the Warragul Cup to finish the campaign – drawn gate six for Tim O’Brien and the Duff Man, Ryan Duffy.
Perspective’s key weapon is his gate speed. If he were able to fly the arm and run straight to the top tonight, he’d take plenty of catching.
Polemarker Ardens Legacy has some early toe but would likely be looking for the softest trip possible after a disappointing last-start effort that saw him come in almost 50m behind Pocket Thedeal.
Rocknroll Eyes is an interesting proposition. The Geoff Lucas-trained five-year-old produced a solid third in the above-mentioned race last time out, beaten 12.1m by Pocket Thedeal, but did keep working to the line.
His effort in the Boort Pacing Cup three starts back was enormous when less than 5m from Perspective despite having to dig up early to hold the breeze – and then kick up again when challenged for the majority of the first lap.
At the end, Rocknroll Eyes was still kicking on and actually ran out of space on the back of the quinella horses that day. He’s flying and Darby McGuigan is likely to drive similarly aggressive here.
The horses off the back row are Resurgent Spirit and Reciprocity, both class acts.
Reciprocity has won six races since joining the Peter Manning camp, including two of her last three – split by a narrow second to Our Step Up in the Group 2 Jodie’s Babe.
Resurgent Spirit produced a boil over to win a heat of the Tassie Cup before finishing fourth in the final. Kate Hargreaves and Alex Ashwood are doing a super job with this fella, and in October last year he did finish second in fast-class company at Melton 2.1m behind Cash N Flow (defeating horses such as Bernie Winkle, Audi Hare, Motu Meteor, Love Ina Chevy, Brallos Pass and Bad Billy home).
In a competitive heat, Resurgent Spirit is my best value each-way.
Of the others, smart four-year-old Bulletproof Boy is a prolific winner with 19 wins from 45 starts, though looks an outsider here, Yerrington Bob joins the Stephen O’Donoghue stable and shouldn’t be far off from gate two and outsider Assassinator carries trainer Christopher Nicol’s hopes from barrier three.
HRV Trots Media has you covered for Mildura Cup week coverage, with Sky 1 coverage driven from the track by host Jason Bonnington and caller Craig Rail every night, RSN Late Mail prior to every race on RSN from GoodForm’s Jason Bonnington, Trots Vision live streaming including parade ring interviews from Cody Winnell on Cup Night and post-race interviews from Rob Auber, plus heaps more colour and fun from the meetings on HRV’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels.
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CLICK BELOW TO HEAR FROM BEC BARTLEY, GREG SCHOLEFIELD AND CRAIG RAIL ON GAIT SPEED: