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A mighty Team Teal cups double, a Kerryn Manning headline quinella and a sweet six that poured thousands into the ovarian cancer fight were among the feel-good themes to emerge from Sunday’s Boort Cups.
The 20th leg of this year’s Trots Country Cups Championship didn’t disappoint, with Manning’s Pay Rise a dominant winner of the Councillor Neil Beattie and Family Boort Pacing Cup ahead of stablemate Onthecrestofawave, while Jim and Jackie Barker’s Glorious Finale went one better than last week’s second in winning The Honourable Peter Walsh Boort Trotters Cup.
Their victories were among six for Team Teal reinswomen on the day, boosting the Victorian total to $37,200, with Harness Racing Victoria and the TAB each tipping $200 in to WomenCan every time a female driver wins between February 1 and March 15.
“It certainly makes winning special, winning for a cause adds something to it,” Manning told TrotsVision after her Boort win. “It’s been a little lean this month, so nice to get another one up and put some money in the pot.”
All fell into place for Manning in the pacing cup, with favourite Maestro Bellini unable to hold the lead, having been fractious before the start and crossed by Luvyoubabe, and likely front runner Franks Very Much breaking at the start.
“The race changed a bit once Franks Very Much galloped out, it was probably the death seat in the race if it couldn’t lead and it probably wouldn’t have handed up,” Manning said. “It changed it completely. Once I saw Grant in the death I thought he’d hand up so I headed around and (Pay Rise) was good.”
From gate 11, Manning advanced to the breeze with about a mile to go and then pressed leader Loveyoubabe the last time down the back straight, sweeping to the front and winning comfortably ahead of stablemate Onthecrestofawave.
“(Pay Rise) hung in a bit at Ararat the other night, so it was good to see him get round better and show his class,” Manning said.
“He’s been running in a lot harder races in Melbourne for a little while now and been going quite good. It was always going to be hard from 11, but it actually turned out really well in the end and the other horse running second was the icing on the cake.
“It always feels good to train and drive your own to a win, we don’t have that many in work. They all seem to be very honest horses, there’s no champions amongst them at the minute, but they are all nice horses who do a good job.
“It’s hard to win races nowadays anywhere, so it’s very exciting to be able to pick up a cup.”
Manning’s third Boort Cup success, coming after Motu Meteor won in 2018 and Sophie Pass in 2009, elevated Pay Rise to equal 11th in the Trots Country Cups Championship and puts him in contention for a place in The Encore on May 2.
Places in the new feature at Tabcorp Park, a $60,000 race, will be allocated based on most Trots Country Cups wins, followed by money earned in the championship.
Glorious Finale moved to eighth place in the Maori’s Idol Trotting Championship with Sunday’s victory at Boort, which came on the heels of a narrow loss at Ararat the week prior.
Jackie Barker and Glorious Finale got away brilliantly from the standing start and led the field a merry dance.
“When I got away so good and I had a look behind me, they were pretty spaced out and this fella, he’s pretty honest but he can trot a bit rough at times, so I thought if I just keep going and if they have got to chase they have got to catch him,” Barker said.
“It’s been a lot of hard work to try and get to this, probably two and half years to try and get him trotting properly and get him back up to this level, so it’s a really special win today.”
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