Betterthancheddar gelding takes out Kilmore Pacing Cup

Greg Sugars was a relieved man after Better Eclipse (Betterthancheddar) got the verdict in a photo finish in the Group 2 Kilmore Pacing Cup. 

The race panned out as expected with the $2.70 favorite Act Now holding the front from the pole with Better Eclipse ($3.90) settling on the back of the leader while last year’s winner Rock N Roll Doo lobbed along at the rear of the field. 

Jodi Quinlan dropped anchor on Act Now in the slowest Kilmore Cup lead time (1:21.7) on record. 

Rock N Roll Doo latched onto the back of Tough Tilly who launched three wide in the back straight however the leaders pinched a break on straightening with Better Eclipse holding a half head margin on the line over Beyond Delight with Act Now three metres away third. 

A THRILLER!
Better Eclipse joins the star-studded Jet Roofing Kilmore Pacing Cup honour roll with a narrow victory over Beyond Delight for trainer Jess Tubbs and driver Greg Sugars! pic.twitter.com/eNd4LATZ4I

— The Trots (@TheTrotsComAu) September 29, 2023

Sugars acknowledged Act Now has been a hard horse to beat in previous encounters. 

“I’ve raced Act Now so many times and I’m not sure of the head to head record but I know I’ve never been able to come from behind him and actually run past him before, he always seems to kick back on me,” Sugars said.  

Sugars said he was quietly confident during the race. 

“I knew I had a horse that was ready to go and get the job done but I sort of had that in the back of my mind that Act Now is so hard to get past on most occasions and I was hoping tonight that this wouldn’t be the case,” he said.  

Sugars said the son of Betterthancheddar has cemented his place among the elite pacers in the country. 

“He’s exceeded our expectations already on what he’s done, I would never have thought he would compete at the absolute high level but he’s well and truly earned his place there now,” he said. 

For complete race results, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harnesslink