Pacing Cup heats produce few surprises

There were few surprises but huge contrasts in the harness racing qualifiers of the $60,000 Tasco Petroleum Mildura Pacing Cup tonight (Apr 18).

And one certainty.  That the Emma Stewart stable is right on track to pick up back-to-back feature victories in Australia’s only three-day pacing cup carnival.

Heat one was one of the slowest pacing cup qualifiers on record for the Group Three feature, while the second was just the opposite – fast, competitive and just 1.6 seconds outside the race record.

Regardless there was a certain predictability about the final list of qualifiers for Saturday’s final:

Heat 1:

Tay Tay – Alex Ashwood (Alex Ashwood)

Serg Blanco – Ryan Duffy (Steven Duffy)

Kowalski Analysis – Glen Craven (David Lewis)

Bulletproof Boy – Scott Ewen (Scott Ewen)

Sahara Tiger – Abby Sanderson (Shane Sanderson)

Heat 2:

Cant Top This – Kerryn Manning (Emma Stewart)

Helluva – John Justice (John Justice)

Curly James – David Moran (David Moran)

Western Sonador – Rebecca Bartley (Steve O’Donoghue – Rebecca Bartley)

Dhaulagiri – Jack Laugher (Julie Douglas)

Pre post favorite Cant Top This (Rock N Roll Heaven) looks in the box seat for a third Country Cup this season with a dominant display in the second heat.

His strong qualifier gives him a chance to go one better than at last year’s Mildura carnival when he set a new track record in the Free For All on Cup Night – a night on which Stewart also won the feature, with Phoenix Prince.

Cant Top This, already with the Ararat and Charlton Cups to his name this season, was content to sit at the rear of the field as the leading brigade of Cutty Sark, Pas Guarantee and Curly James set a cracking pace in the first lap – the lead time of 80.6 just .7 sec outside the track record.

After being sent three wide early, Curly James eventually crossed to the lead with 1200 to go, and immediately Western Sonodor started a three wide run, trailed by Helluva and Cant Top This.  Cant Top This was three wide for the last lap, but pulled away in the straight to score by 2.4 metres from Helluva, and, full of merit, Curly James 10 metres behind.

Time 1:58.7 (30.3 31.7 28.9 29 lead 71.9)

In Heat One, Tay Tay (Rock N Roll Heaven) did only what was required to take out her qualifier.  With a pedestrian speed being set by Serg Blanco up front (the 80.6 sec lead time was four seconds slower than the previous slowest), Ashwood parked Tay Tay in the death seat with 1600 metres to go. National Draft made a lightning move to get to the head of affairs with 1200 metres to go.

Bulletproof Boy came from last to qualify for his fourth Mildura Pacing Cup and Sahara Tiger will give Abby Sanderson her first drive in a Mildura Pacing Cup.

Time 2:03.6 (31.2, 30.2 28.9 28.8.  Lead 80.6)

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink