Trots Centre: Major opportunity knocks in Swan Hill Cup

Stephen Blacker’s bullish his boy Silent Major’s well poised to land a significant Trots Country Cup tomorrow night and in doing so plump his claims for a start in Australasia’s most famed series.

The 3SH Swan Hill Pacing Cup presents as a spectacularly even affair, with the long distance Group 3 an opportunity for next big things to make a claim for Grand Circuit opportunities.

That’s certainly the case for the Aaron Dunn trained and driven Silent Major, who's well placed to take advantage of his gate two draw and, if he can do so, potentially catapult up the Inter Dominion rankings.

Blacker, Silent Major’s owner and stablehand, told SEN Track's Trots Life today the four-year-old’s can make some noise tomorrow night and potentially capture his first Victorian win since Mildura Pacing Cup heats in April.

“He’s going really good,” he said. “I was really happy with his run at Maryborough, been happy with his last three or four really.

“(Gate) two is an ideal draw for him and he loves that mile and a half or further. That’s his go.”

The team toyed with the idea of directing the nine-time winner to Saturday night’s Catanach’s Jewellers 4YO & 5YO Championship at Tabcorp Park Melton, part of a ‘Triple Treat’ of racing on TrotsVision this weekend that also takes in Sunday’s Redwood Carnival at Maryborough.

However, they instead decided to zero in on the $35,000 headliner at Swan Hill, which kicks off at 9.02pm.

“He was nominated for the Four and Five-Year-Old Championship but, with that extra distance and that he was going to get a better draw, preferred to go to Swan Hill,” Blacker said.

“Gerard (Moloney) and his crew up there (at Swan Hill) have been really good supporters, so nice to have him in the Cup and hopefully he will run a good race.”

The stakes are certainly high and go beyond capturing the prized cup, whose most recent honour roll reads Colt Thirty One (2019), Menin Gate (2018), Messini (2017), Hectorjayjay (2016) and Arden Rooney (2015).

Blacker's hopeful a strong performance will see him rise in the Inter Dominion rankings, having been slotted in at 67 in the first round, well outside likely qualification.

“He’s going to have to win (a race to get in), but having said that Mach Dan and Pacifico Dream, who I don’t rate him far below, are rated 50 spots higher, so I don’t think there are 50 horses between him and them two on his best form,” Blacker told TrotsLife.

“He’s going to have to win, probably tomorrow night, and then I think there are probably 10 or 15 horses that are still in there that won’t go.

“The (Inter Dominion) conditions suit him down to the ground, 3000 metres final, three heats in a week, he’s that real tough type of horse that just thrives on hard racing. You’d have to say at this stage, rated 68 the job’s in front of him. If he wins tomorrow night well that’s a different thing.”

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