Sonya’s star looking to do it his Way in Gunbower feature

Make Way continues on his country cups trail at Echuca.

Melton trainer Sonya Smith lines him up in the relocated $14,500 Gunbower Family Hotel Gunbower Pacing Cup (2560m) on Sunday.

Smith had hoped to have Make Way campaigning in the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship, but disappointingly for her he just missed the cut.

With that off the agenda, Smith is now turning her focus to a summer of cups.

Make Way has already made an impact on the circuit.

He finished second to Torrid Saint in the Yarra Valley Cup on November 3.

With a tough Inter Dominion campaign in mind at that stage, Make Way was given a little freshen-up after that outing.

This meant he was probably always going to need one run before finding his best again and he had that at Ballarat on Saturday night.

He returned over a short trip and finished on from back in the field to get fifth.

Smith’s partner and Make Way’s driver Anthony Butt said they were really pleased with the run.

“We were rapt with the way he went in the Yarra Valley Cup. He wasn’t far away,” Butt said.

“That showed he was back to his best.

“Then he hit the line well in quick time (in Ballarat).”

He said that effort showed he was close to his peak and ready to show his best at Echuca, where the six-year-old looks better suited over a longer journey.

It has not been the easiest of roads for Smith with Make Way.

The son of Mach Three showed plenty of promise after arriving from New Zealand as a three-year-old and then working his way into elite company as a four-year-old – earning a start in the Chariots Of Fire at Menangle.

Unfortunately at the end of 2020 he suffered a fracture in a race at Melton that halted his career.

He managed to get back to the races in August 2021, but after just the one run he suffered a similar injury at home and was not sighted at the races again until September this year.

Butt said it always took a lot of racing to get a horse back to peak fitness after such a long break, and with seven starts since his latest return Make Way was now at that point.

He said they were happy with the second row draw at Echuca.

“We’ll be looking to follow the front row through and from there hopefully we’ll get a little bit of luck on the smaller track,” he said.

Make Way is one of eight acceptors for the Gunbower Cup, with the Bendigo stable of Julie Douglas having three starters.

The eight-race program also features the $14,500 Cohuna Cars Sales/Bill Poxon Memorial Gunbower Trotters Cup (2530m).

Last-start St Arnaud Trotters Cup winner Travel Bug is the backmarker on 20m.

Picture: Kilmore Racing Club