“I am pretty lucky to be driving him. I’ve had a good run with him and it’s exciting to have the opportunity to try to get another feature win with him.”
That’s the view of driver Ryan Sanderson ahead of Tuesday night’s (April 7) CA Fitness Mildura Pacing Cup heats, where boom four-year-old Fox Dan shapes as the standout prospect – and a horse with much bigger targets in sight.
The highly regarded pacer returns to the track with the $2.1 million TAB Eureka (at Menangle in early September) firmly on the radar, and the Mildura Cup series looms as a first stepping stone in that journey.
Fox Dan has not raced since his Victoria Derby heat and final triumph last October, which followed a runner-up performance in the 2025 Eureka to his star stablemate, Bay of Biscay.
And fresh from a recent second in a trial behind Bay Of Biscay, Fox Dan appears to be returning in top order.
“The Melton trial was good so he is going into the Mildura Cup pretty forward,” Sanderson said.
“I think Emma and Clayton have always had the Eureka in mind and they haven’t really rushed him for anything earlier.”
Despite drawing wide in heat two, Sanderson is confident the talented entire can take up a prominent position.
“I can go with a bit of confidence because he should be able to find his way to the front. Hopefully he has a good heat – he is a really nice horse and he’s going to be very competitive.”
Fox Dan headlines a powerful team for the Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin camp, which looks set to play a major role across both heats.
Highly-credentialled stablemate Captain Perfect looms as the obvious danger in heat two, although he faces the challenge of a second row draw, while Jilliby Nitro and Santa Casa Beach add depth to a competitive lineup.
The opening heat is more evenly matched, with a number of runners capable of progressing through to Saturday night’s (April 11) final.
Aaron Dunn’s Forty Love brings strong formlines into the race and looks well suited to the series conditions.
“His form mightn’t read that great but he’s been going well – probably just been a bit out of luck,” Dunn said.
“The long trip will suit him well…he is tough and would stand up to that three runs in a week format, and he’s better when the speed is on.”
The 2024 Mildura Cup winner Dangerous scored a strong first-up win at Bendigo lasat month but must contend with a second row draw, while Meteor Moth, Isthisjustfantasy, My Ultimate Jimmy and Prioritise all have claims in a deep field.
The qualifiers from Tuesday night’s two heats will progress through to the $40,000 CA Fitness Mildura Pacing Cup Final, over 2600 metres on Saturday night.
First run in 1957, the Mildura Pacing Cup remains one of the Victoria’s most prestigious harness racing features, and is the only country cup run under the heat and final format. Heat night also includes heats of the Park Douglas Printing Pace, with a final of $12,000 on Saturday night.
