Sparks set to fly as big guns get unleashed

Two of Victoria’s biggest standardbred stars are set to strut their stuff in prime time at Victoria’s harness racing headquarters this Saturday night (Aug. 12).

Catch A Wave (Captaintreacherous) and The Lost Storm (Captaintreacherous) will continue their paths to the TAB Eureka in back-to-back races at Melton, with the features scheduled early on the nine-race card in a bid to engage a larger racing and sports fanbase from across the country.

The placement of the City of Melton My Lightning Blue Free For All at 6.02pm and the TAB Download The App 3YO Pace at 6.33pm will showcase the two boom pacers to a new and bigger audience, according to Harness Racing Victoria’s General Manager of Racing Stephen Bell.

“It’s fantastic we are getting to see two talented horses racing at Melton outside of the feature period as they get ready to compete in the richest harness race in the world,” Bell said.

“Traditionally they would have been programmed late in the night, but we want to put them in the spotlight earlier so the wider sports and punting audience can take them in and get involved.”

Catch A Wave is out to redeem himself after a shock first-up defeat when he lines up in the My Lightning Blue FFA, but will have his work cut out over the 1720m trip from a wide back row draw.

Despite all that’s against him, the TAB opened the Andy Gath-trained Chariots of Fire and Miracle Mile champ as a red-hot $1.30 favourite to claim an 18th career win.

Catch A Wave was beaten by stablemate and older half-brother Yambukian on July 22 and tuned up for his next assignment with an exhibition trial against Emma Stewart’s top fast class pacer Mach Dan at Geelong last Friday.

The Lost Storm is also a short-priced favourite in the TAB Download The App 3YO Pace.

Stewart’s brilliant son of Captaintreacherous claimed his maiden Group 1 victory in last year’s Vicbred Super Series final for two-year-old colts and geldings by more than 30m and landed a second with a demolition job of his rivals in the Queensland Derby on July 22.

He opened $1.10 in a race that includes stablemate Techys Watching, Kyle Marshall’s star New Zealander Son Of Mac, Geoff Webster’s Dougs Platter and Chris Svanosio’s Louie Lou I.

A top squaregaiter will also make an exciting return at Melton this Saturday night.

Master trainer Chris Lang has been public with his high opinions of Ollivici and his brilliantly-bred five-year-old resumes from a break in the Pryde’s EasiFeed Maori’s Idol Trotters Free For All.

It’s going to be a night of thrills and you can watch all the action with the wall-to-wall coverage at TrotsVision.com.au and on Sky Racing or listen to it on RSN927 and SENTrack.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Tim O’Connor, for Harness Racing Victoria