Racegoers could be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu at the Geelong Pacing Cup meeting on Saturday night.
With a golden ticket into the Group 1 SEN Victoria Cup up for grabs, one of the strongest cup fields in recent years faced the starter, with the Jason Grimson-trained pair Minos ($2 fav) and seven-time Group 1 winner Swayzee ($4) at the head of the betting.
Swayzee worked to the lead with two laps to travel, while Minos’ driver Lochie Cook elected to await his chance along the sprint lane.
The genuine tempo set by the leader allowed those back in the field to close late, and Jason Lee on Jilliby Nitro ($26) did just that, easing his charge to the extreme outside in the home straight, with the rising 10-year-old storming home to grab victory on the line.
The win etched Jilliby Nitro into the history annals as the only horse to win two Apco Geelong Pacing Cups in the one calendar year, having taken the race out earlier this year in March.
“He’s just an unbelievable old horse,” Lee said.
Jilliby Nitro was friendless in the betting after being unplaced first-up on his home track at Terang six nights earlier, and Lee conceded he had asked the pacer to do more than his share of work in the run.
“I gave him a stinker on Monday night and Paddy (Lee) let me know all about it, but for Mum and Paddy to back him up, to have the confidence to know the run wasn’t going to affect him, and that’s his go, the long journey,” he said.
“Monday night didn’t really worry me too much, as I knew he’d come on from the run, and when he came out onto the track tonight, he was super sharp and ready to go.”
Lee said he expected the race to be run at speed.
“With Grimo’s pair in it, it would be a genuine run race, and the biggest thing was that I didn’t want to be exposed early in the run. He was just travelling so well, I couldn’t have been happier,” he said.
Lee is thrilled Jilliby Nitro is lining up in his first Victoria Cup.
“It’s nice to have horses in those races and you can’t win them unless you’re in them, so you’ve got to dream big,” he said.
Half an hour later, Imperial Monarch completed Groundhog Day for the Lee stable when he too wrote himself into the history books as the only trotter to win two McNamara Memorial Trotting Cups in the one calendar year.
Imperial Monarch worked to the lead with two laps to travel, while the $1.80 favourite Rockinwithattitude settled at the rear of the field from her 30-metre backmark.
Rockinwithattitude made a move to work up outside the leader at the bell; however, she was unable to bridge the gap in the home straight, with Imperial Monarch ($3.40) staving off the challenge to score by three metres.
Imperial Monarch completed the rewinding of the clock back six months for Marg and Paddy Lee with the win.
Lee was happy to snare the feature race double on Cup night.
“We’ve been having a bit of a lean run. While still winning races, we haven’t been winning a hell of a lot of metro races. It’s hard for 12 months of the year to keep the really good ones up and going, racing at the elite level,” he said.
“These two horses really suit the long trip, and Imperial Monarch has always been a really nice horse and up to the good ones. He probably needs everything to go his way when the superstars are around to beat them.”
Jodi Quinlan took the driving honours at the meeting with a winning treble.
Quinlan saluted on Sky Flair, whom she trains, and the Emma Stewart-prepared pair Schwarz and The Final Dance.
Quinlan acknowledged the polish of the Stewart-trained team.
“You know that these horses are trained to perfection and when it comes to a dog fight, they’re there,” she said.
Quinlan was satisfied with her successful night at the office.
“I’m getting on a bit, so a treble is good,” she said.
