Aaron after Cup success

It’s widely regarded as one of the most special country cup harness racing meetings in Victoria, and Aaron Coad has decided he needs to experience it.

The budding trainer is bound for Birchip’s once-a-year raceday, with a team of three horses set to make the trip with him from Merbein South to Victoria’s Mallee region this weekend.

They include Gracie Cullen (Alta Christiano) and Dennis (Courage Under Fire)– starters in the Sharp’s Bakery Mallee Bull Pacing Cup – and new stable acquisition Mach Brilliance (Mach Three), who’ll tackle the Mick Foott Livestock and Grain Cartage Pace.

Coad, who has prepared 40 winners since having his first runner in early 2020, says the in-form Gracie Cullen is probably the best of his chances in the 2150m cup.

The seven-year-old mare has been with Coad since the middle of last year and won six races for the stable.

“There’s some very nice horses off the front row, but Gracie Cullen is probably in her career best form with barrier eight being a very suitable draw for her in my opinion,” Coad said.

“If she gets the right run, she should be thereabouts.”

Dennis joined Coad around the same time as Gracie Cullen, and while he has only managed three wins since his arrival, two of those have been in recent weeks.

“Dennis is also in great form with two wins and a third from his last three starts against a few in-form fast class horses, so I would hope he should also be thereabouts but it just depends on how the race is run,” Coad said.

“We are also looking forward to making a night of it after the races to catch up with some great mates.”

Tim Mortlock’s Double The Hunter is likely to start favourite in the race from barrier three after his recent win in the Central Victorian Pacing Championship Final.

The TMC enviro Mallee Bull Trotters Cup is the other headline race on Sunday’s card, with Danny Mullan’s Imperial Whiz the backmarker off 40m.

The Birchip meeting has been given a big boost from Harness Racing Victoria, with prizemoney increases lifting the Mallee Bull pacing and trotting cups from $4500 races in 2022 to $10,000 features this weekend.

And horse nominations have also increased, with an eight-race card a huge lift from the five that were conducted 12 months earlier.

There’ll be $1000 for both the leading trainer and leading driver on Sunday thanks to Dan Coffey Contracting and John Wilson from Portable Buildings International Birchip, while Fred Crews is again putting up $900 (split between trainer/driver/owner) for any pacer and/or trotter that can break the track record and keep it by meeting’s end.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Tim O’Connor, for Harness Racing Victoria