Last Friday night up-and-coming Kiwi pacer Bettors Strike claimed victory in the coveted $400 000 Group 1 SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup at Tabcorp Park, Melton.
It was an intensely close finish in the feature race of the night as the five-year-old gelding, Bettors Strike ($6.50), trained by Cran Dalgety used the sprint lane to overtake and defeat the clear favourite at $2.30 Smoken Up by just 1.2m with Queensland pacing star Blacks A Fake ($7.30) merely a half-head back in third place.
The son of Bettors Delight clocked a gross time of 2:41.1m over the 2240m prestigious staying event for a mile rate record for the distance of 1:55.7, claiming the lucrative $270 000 to-the-winner prize for his connections. The prizemoney came at the perfect time too, as HRV stewards declared Bettors Strike’s Cranbourne Cup victory was in fact a dead heat after runner-up Ohoka Nevada’s connections protested the photo finish and the previously declared winners were forced to surrender half of the first place purse.
Bettors Strike, who was ridden by Dexter Dunn for the victory on Friday night, has now won 13 of his 51 career starts and is unbeaten in Australia. He has now also moved up to second place on the Barastoc Grand Circuit leaderboard with seven points, following Monkey King with fifteen points.
The victory was also Dalgety’s third Victoria Cup after his former champion Desperate Comment had back-to-back success in 1996 & 1997.
Last year’s Victoria Cup winner Melpark Major could only manage fifth this year behind Monkey King who swooped out wide to secure fourth place just 3.2m back after having raced towards the back of the pack.
2009 SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup Results:
Place |
Horse |
Prizemoney |
Row & Br |
Trainer |
Driver |
Margin (m) |
| 1 |
BETTORS STRIKE (NZ) |
$270 000 | Sr1 | C T Dalgety | D J Dunn | - |
| 2 |
SMOKEN UP (NZ) |
$60 000 | Fr1 | L J Justice | L J Justice | 1.20 |
| 3 |
BLACKS A FAKE |
$40 000 | Fr3 | N C Rasmussen | N C Rasmussen | 1.40 |
| 4 |
MONKEY KING |
$20 000 | Sr5 | B R Hill | R T May | 3.20 |
| 5 |
MELPARK MAJOR |
$10 000 | Fr5 | A R Tubbs | A E Tubbs | 4.60 |
| 6 |
BOLD CRUISER (NZ) |
- | Sr2 | G F Douglas | D K Douglas | 5.90 |
| 7 |
MR FEELGOOD (USA) |
- | Fr2 | T G Butt | A M Butt | 6.30 |
| 8 |
CINCINNATI KID (NZ) |
- | Fr4 | M Peace | M Peace | 7.30 |
| 9 |
OHOKA NEVADA (NZ) |
- | Sr4 | A L Peacock | D R Wilson | 10.90 |
| 10 |
WASHAKIE (NZ) |
- | Fr7 | J P McCarthy | J P McCarthy | 11.30 |
| 11 |
BE GOOD JOHNNY |
- | Fr6 | J P McCarthy | L A McCarthy | 12.30 |
| 12 |
CANT BLUFF ME |
- | Sr3 | I C Wilson | J N Douglass | 20.60 |