Banjo Paterson Cup in new track record

Angela Hedges timed Saloon Passage’s ($4.80) rapid finish perfectly at Orange’s Towac Park on Sunday afternoon, beating out a red-hot harness racing field and securing a second Kent’s H Hardware Banjo Paterson Cup (1609 metres) for Eglinton trainer Nathan Hurst.

In fact the eight-year-old’s final 600 was so swift he set a new track record over the mile too, motoring over the grass track in 1.55.4.

Coming from the second row, the Elsu x Rosesrredviletsrblue gelding sat three from the back for the best part of his run, before shifting to the outside lane at the top of Towac Park’s straight.

He sped past last year’s winner Parramatta ($3.20 favourite), pole starter Mister Heywood ($9.70) and then 2010 Gold Crown champion Beetson ($16.60) – which produced a stellar run for third – before looming large on the Codi Rauchenberger-driven Rykov Leis ($5.20), which had all but led from the start.

With a sizable portion of the Towac Park crowd in his corner and one last-gasp effort, Saloon Passage caught Rykov Leis just shy of the post to win by a little over a metre.

“I’m really happy, it was a super run, it worked out really well. They did run along so I knew it’d be a pretty quick time,” Hurst, who first won Orange Harness Racing Club’s marquee event with Tolhurst Kiss, said.

“We thought there’d have to be a reasonable speed on for him to come from the back and there was so that helped us a little bit, and his last 600 was really good.

“They took off at just the right time, timed it to perfection really so I couldn’t be happier with the drive.”

While it’s Hurst’s second Banjo Paterson Cup, it’s his first on the grass track. Sunday’s race was just the second time it’s been run at Towac Park after Orange Harness Racing Club’s move in 2017.

“We were interested to see how he’d go on it, but it didn’t seem to worry him at all,” he said.

Mister Heywood paced roughly from the inside, and Rykov Leis was sent forward immediately out of the three gate and pushed to a two-length lead early.

The gelding stayed at the front of the pack too, until those last few metres.

Parramatta went forward in the early stages as Saloon Passage settled toward the pack, before a lightning mid-race move from Beetson at the 1000 mark.

He pushed within a neck of Rykov Leis and continued challenging James Rattray’s last-start winner, until the end.

As they hit the top of the straight Amanda Turnbull started Parramatta’s run, but he didn’t do enough as Mister Heywood picked up the inside lane.

He fell away somewhat too, although he finished fourth, while Saloon Passage flew home.

By Matt Findlay

Reprinted with permission of The Western Advocate