Catchafire sparks Cup heat excitement at Mildura

A lightly raced pacer with four wins from just eight lifetime starts could steal the limelight in the heats of the 2024 Barry Bottams Mildura Pacing Cup at tonight’s (April 1) opening meeting of the Mildura Harness Racing Club cup carnival.

Three-year-old gelding Catchafire (Delight Bettors) has drawn the three alley in the first of two qualifying heats – with qualifiers going through to a $30,000 final on Friday night.

“I’ve raced horses at the track before, but this is the first time I’ve had a runner in the Cup,” Riverina-based trainer-driver Jackson Painting said.

“Catchafire is a nice little horse that I picked out from New Zealand. I watch a fair few races from over there and usually buy five or six each year.”

The pacer had two starts over in the Shaky Islands for one win, and since making his way across the Tasman to Painting’s Leeton stable, he’s had three wins at Wagga Wagga’s Riverina Paceway.

“He’s gone terrific, and I was so pleased with his sixth in the NSW Derby heat at Menangle (March 1). He over raced and to go down by 11 metres to Silver Pistol and I Am The Storm was awesome. We were up against the best three-year-olds in Australia,” Painting said.

“Being a lowly national rating 65 horse, I was on the lookout for ideal races and the Mildura Cup really suited. Hopefully I qualify and then I’ll have a barrier draw advantage over some of the better ones,” Painting said.

“I don’t mind racing at the half-mile track, and in the past I’ve snuck down with a few for the VicBred Bonus. It’s a four-and-a-half hour trip, but the roads are good.

“We are up against a few nice ones in Young Bluey (Matt Craven) and Dee Roe (Aaron Dunn), but we’ll be thereabouts.”

Catchafire is raced by good mates Michael Ross and Anthony Pantano.

“They both love horses and Michael has been one of my main clients over the years,” Painting said.

The second Cup heat sees recent Charlton Cup victor Catalpa Rescue (Ryan Sanderson) as the warm favorite. The pacer has been in fine form this campaign with two wins and two placings.

“He’s had a few little issues in the past and this is the healthiest I’ve ever had him,” trainer Shane Sanderson said.

The Sanderson stable was successful in last year’s Mildura Cup with the super-impressive Dangerous (Sweet Lou), owned by the same connections as Catalpa Rescue – Paul and Danny Lowry, John Wilson, Leon Hogan, Robert Hodge and Max Dillon.

Crime Writer, another from the Craven barn, is racing in good form and will be the hardest to beat.

The Cup heats and final are named in memory of the late Barry Bottams, who was the club’s president for a record 26 years, as well as a passionate owner, trainer and driver.

Bottams, who passed away in October last year, volunteered in almost every aspect of club life, including farrier, bookmakers’ supervisor, mobile barrier driver, starter and track attendant.

by Terry Gange for Harnesslink