Last start-winner Powersofpersuasion will head into Friday night's 3SH Swan Hill Pacing Cup with an eye towards targeting trainer Sandra O’Connor’s hometown cup next year.

The four-year-old will use the Swan Hill feature as groundwork for a launch at next seasons Mildura Cup.

“We are aiming for next year’s Mildura Cup,” O’Connor said.

Powersofpersuasion will head into Friday night’s 2790m event after winning two out of his last three-starts in the Sunraysia.

“He is looking pretty good, and he is just a young horse that has got a lot of ability,” O’Connor said.

“I’m pretty sure he is going to run the 2790m out and it is a bit of an education to take him to Swan Hill to see if he can run the distance.”

The son of Samantha Sparkle is set to tackle Victoria’s country cup circuit early in the new year.

“We are looking at country cups with him moving forward,” she said.

Up-and-coming reinsman, Brent Murphy will pilot the four-year-old for the $25,000 event.

“Brent (Murphy) has driven him a couple of times at Mildura, and he has done a really good job, so we tend to give the kids a go,” the Irymple horsewoman said.

“He is hungry, and he thought he would come up and drive him.”

Powersofpersuasion has drawn one for the 2790m trip.

“That’s the reason I put him in the cup and I was thinking of heading over to Adelaide for the South Australian Pacing Cup,” she said. “The pacing cup was random barrier draw where the Swan Hill Cup was on national rating.

“He should have a good race and hopefully he doesn’t have a bad run and can get a crack at them up the sprint lane,” she said.

O’Connor, 62, who is closing in on 200 career wins would love to add a Swan Hill Cup to her honour roll.

“I would be absolutely over the moon, not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would ever have a horse in the Swan Hill Cup,” O’Connor said. “Hopefully he won’t let us down.”

The trotting feature on the card is the King Of The North @ Llowalong Farms Swan Hill Trotters Cup.

2024 Great Southern Star winner Callmethebreeze was ruled out of the cup late on Wednesday afternoon leaving the Alex Ashwood-prepared Parisian Artiste and the Brent Lilley-trained Virginia Clowers with 20m handicaps to overcome.

The 3SH Swan Hill Pacing Cup is set to go at 8.33pm with the Trotters Cup to follow at 9.03pm.

 

Picture: Jo Morrish Photography