Cox seeking good start in round one

New Zealand harness racing trainer Jonny Cox knows he’s got to make the most of a good draw in the first round of heats in the ID25 Ladbrokes Inter Dominions at Albion Park tomorrow night.

Cox’s runner Pinseeker (Downbytheseaside) has drawn gate three in the first heat of the pacing series, with hot favourite Leap To Fame drawing the inside of the second row.

“Definitely it’s a handy draw. It makes it an even better draw with Leap To Fame drawing one on the second line. Hopefully he’ll have traffic problems. We’ll try and be handy to the speed and we’ve got our chance to get some points early,” Cox said.

Outside of Leap To Fame and Max Delight the opposition looks to be quite moderate.

“But they’re all good enough to be there and some of them have been there, done that. My horse is the new kid on the block but you’ve got to respect them all and the drivers. It’s a bit different driving over here.”

Cox says Pinseeker has improved since his Sydney win.

“He was probably only ninety per cent in Sydney and his work this week has been good. He’s obviously not completely screwed down. The final is our main target and hopefully we can get there.”

Cox has always said the trip to the Inter Dominions would be part of Pinseeker’s development.

“That’s why we came. He thrived after the Cambridge run (The Race) and I had a bit of a think about this trip after that. He went home and he was a bit stronger. I said to the owners that this trip will just be the making of him. We might even look at coming back and racing him in some of those good races in Victoria next year. It helps that he’s just a laid back horse that takes everything in his stride.”

The Cox family has a deep history at the Inter Dominions.

Jonny’s grandfather Harry won the 1965 Inter Dominion Trotters Final at Forbury Park training and driving Poupette while the family trotter David Moss raced in three Inter Doms, winning four heats and finishing second in the 1993 Final.

For complete race entries, click here

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink