.jpg)
The first of the golden tickets to the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship goes up for grabs this Saturday night at Tabcorp Park Melton.
And it’s reigning Victorian four-year-old entire or gelding of the year Honolua Bay that looks to have one foot on it, with the Emma Stewart-trained star likely to start a short-priced favourite in the Westburn Grant Free For All.
The son of Somebeachsomewhere has drawn the outside of the front row, but will be well fancied to stretch his winning sequence to seven races in the $24,000 fast class feature.
Reigning ID champion Boncel Benjamin (Steve Duffy), Julie Douglas-trained trio Shortys Mate, Torrid Saint and Bernie Winkle, Tango Tara (Andy Gath) and Rackemup Tigerpie (Ian Stanley) are Honolua Bay’s rivals in the 2240m event.
The winner of the race receives direct entry into the ID22 pacing series, which kicks off with heats at Ballarat on November 26.
The other direct entry races for the pacers include:
- Minuteman Free For All (3/9/22)
- Kilmore Pacing Cup (23/9/22)
- Geelong Pacing Cup (22/10/22)
Ross Graham-trained Nephew Of Sonoko won the first of the golden ticket events for the trotters – the Wagon Apollo – on July 30.
Two Group 1 events for the three-year-old squaregaiters highlight Saturday night’s card, with the Australasian Premier Trotting Sale finals worth $50,000 each.
Heat winner Just A Bit Touchy (Gath) will be hard to beat in the fillies’ clash from gate four, while trainer Chris Lang has heat winner More Wanted as one of two runners in the showdown between the boys.
The Group 3 TAB Melton Pace Final and Group 3 Garrards Maori’s Idol Trotters Free For All are the other headline races during Saturday night’s Melton meeting, which will feature wall-to-wall TrotsVision coverage from hosts Rob Auber and Steve Cleave.