Norman locked and loaded in pursuit of Gunbower Cups double

With a perfect early step in one cup and an honest speed in the other, Greg Norman’s optimistic the modest trip to Gunbower can produce a happy return for his Charlton team.

The trainer will take four to Sunday’s Gunbower Cups day, including Blue Coman in the Cohuna Car Sales trotters title and Zadaka in the Gunbower Family Hotel pacing crown, the $14,500 features the headliners of what’s always a cracking Sunday at the trots.

“It’s a great day out, they’ve got a good set up there and there are always plenty of activities on during the day and usually pretty good racing,” Norman told Trots Talk.

And he’s optimistic he can tap into some good recent success, which included three wins in as many days in November when Zadaka (Kilmore), Blue Coman (Shepparton) and Belladonna Girl (Melton) won in quick succession.

Zadaka will lay in wait from his gate 10 draw in the pacing cup, when he’ll hope to build on the Trots Country Cups Championship points haul he gained from saluting at Ararat in February.

“I’m sure he will run well,” Norman said. “He is one of those horses, he just needs the right run. He needs everything run to suit, needs the pace on.

“If they go hard early and are getting tired at the finish he just keeps whacking away. If it’s run to suit and he gets the right run he will be right in it.”

It’s a somewhat different story for Blue Coman, who will start from gate one in Kerryn Manning’s hands and much of the grey gelding’s hopes may well depend on how he gets away from the standing start.

“We’ll go good as long as we step away OK. He can be naughty sometimes,” Norman said,

“It’s only a small field but a very tough field, there’s a bit of quality off the back, and a small field will suit those ones fine.”

He backs up after a third placing at Shepparton on Tuesday, when he was beaten five metres by Partytime off a 20-metre handicap.

“We went to Shepparton and gave him a hit-out, he had a hard hit-out too, they broke 30 for every quarter of the (last) mile. It was a pretty tough run but he seems to have pulled up OK and I’m sure he will be fine on Sunday.”

As will the weather, according to meteorologists, which is great news for one of the club’s unique attractions, the Gunny Gumboot Toss, which carries a suite of prizes.

Tune in to all of the fun at TrotsVision.com.au

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