Ashwood and Tay Tay to turn up the heat

Alex Ashwood knows better than most how to navigate his way around the Sunraysia’s harness racing headquarters.

The hard working Ashwood is a regular participant at Mildura meetings and makes the long trek north with his talented mare Tay Tay (Rock N Roll Heaven), who is one of the leading chances in this year’s Tasco Petroleum Mildura Pacing Cup.

The daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven has to contend with a second row draw in the first cup heat and Ashwood isn’t heading into the race with any pre-race plans.

“At Mildura you really need to drive to the tempo and that’s what I’ll be doing on Tay Tay,” Ashwood said.

“If they run along I’ll sit up on her and come with one run, because she has got a good sprint on her, and if they walk up front I won’t be scared to come around to the chair either.”

Tay Tay returns to Ashwood’s care following a stint with Jason Grimson, where she is coming off a placing in the Riverina Championships Mares Final at Wagga.

“She went good at Wagga in the final after sitting parked and got beaten by two horses who had done no work in the run,” he said.

“She’s a gross mare but once she is race fit all you’ve got to do is maintain her and she is ready to go.”

Among the Ashwood muster campaigning this week is three-year-old Cheeky Eagle who is taking on the older horses in the third heat of the Euston Club Resort Pace.

“Apart from Tay Tay, Cheeky Eagle is my best winning chance for the week,” he said. “He is getting better and better with each run this time in.”

The main dangers to Tay Tay in her heat look to be the Steve Duffy trained Serge Blanco and the David Lewis prepared Kowalski Analysis, who are likely to engage in a battle for the lead from their respective barriers of four and five.

The sole Emma Stewart trained cup runner, Cant Top This, will start a short-priced favorite in the second cup heat despite his outside second row draw, with the logical danger being the David Moran prepared Curly James who has been placed at his past seven starts.

The first five across the line in each heat and the fastest sixth horse will comprise Saturday nights Group 3 $60,000 Tasco Petroleum Mildura Pacing Cup.

For complete race entries, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harness Racing Victoria