It will be a bumper night of harness racing at Shepparton this Saturday night as the Victorian club is ready to host the next series of feature pacing events, headlined by the $50 000 Group 2 Shepparton Cup.
A line up of the country’s top pacers are ready to do battle in the 2690m standing start event, which has become quite an open affair after a number of the leading contenders have drawn wide.
The highly fancied Geoff Webster-trained Mister Swinger, dual winner of the Barastoc Grand Circuit, will start from barrier nine just on the outside of the other Grand Circuit champion lining up in the race, Power Of Tara (br.8).
Mister Swinger is one of two entries in the Shepparton Cup for Webster, the other being Tear It All Away, the son of Armbro Operative having drawn far better in barrier two.
Other talented runners starting wide include Tanabi Bromac (br.11) coming off a last-start win in the Horshamp Cup and Ohoka Nevada (br.10). Both starting 10m off on Saturday, these two also share another common factor; they are the only horses of the Shepparton Cup field guaranteed a start in the coveted $400 000 Group 1 BIG6 Hunter Cup.
The winner of the Shepparton Cup is exempt from ballot for the BIG6 Hunter Cup, and with a number of runners keen for the exemption, it will be a tough race.
Currently installed as the odds-on favourite, however, is in-form nine-year-old Karloo Mick who has had sensational success recently, winning three of his last five starts and coming second in the other two.
The ever consistent Panorama gelding still has a lot of work to do however as he starts from barrier 12 in only his second start in Victoria.
Trained by Barry Lew, Karloo Mick is one of the most popular pacers taking to the field on Saturday night and has received quite a following of fans over his imposing 116 career starts.
The other two highlight pacing events at the meeting will be the $25 000 Listed The Lombo Finals. The 2YO Fillies Lombo will run as race two at 7:00pm (VIC time), followed by 2YO Colts & Geldings Lombo Final as race eight at 10:00pm (VIC time).
And trotting fans will be eager to see race five at 8:30pm (VIC time), the $30 000 Group 2 Aldebaran Park E B Cochran Trotters Cup (2690m) featuring the likes of Sundons Gift, Acacia Ridge and In Pursuit.
You can catch the star pacers in action at 9:30pm (VIC time) when the Neatline Homes Shepparton Gold Cup, which is the 14th race in the 25-leg Choice Hotels Country Cups Carnival, takes place as race seven on the night’s elite nine-race programme.
Shepparton Race Programme – Saturday January 23, 2010:
Race # |
Race Name |
Distance |
Prizemoney |
Conditions |
Time (VIC) |
| 1 | SHEPPARTON RETRAVISION PACE | 2190m | $7 000 | C1 only | 6:30pm |
| 2 | THE LOMBO 2YO FILLIES FINAL | 1609m | $25 000 | 2YO Fillies | 7:00pm |
| 3 | ALAN ROWNEY MEMORIAL 3YO PACE FINAL | 2190m | $7 000 | 3C0 to 3C1 | 7:30pm |
| 4 | QUEST SERVICED APARTMENTS PACE | 1690m | $15 000 | M0 only | 8:03pm |
| 5 | GR.2 E B COCHRAN TROTTERS CUP | 2690m | $30 000 | TM1 or better | 8:30pm |
| 6 | KEVIN HICKS REAL ESTATE PACE | 2190m | $15 000 | M1 to M2 | 9:02pm |
| 7 | GR.2 SHEPPARTON GOLD CUP | 2690m | $50 000 | M0 or better | 9:30pm |
| 8 | THE LOMBO 2YO C&G FINAL | 1609m | $25 000 | 2YO C&G | 10:00pm |
| 9 | ALABAR BLOODSTOCK PACE | 2190m | $7 000 | C1 only | 10:30pm |
2010 Shepparton Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw:
# |
Form |
Horse |
Trainer |
Driver |
Class |
| 1 | 223s1 |
SHARDONS ROCKET (NZ) |
G A Campbell | Grant Campbell | C8 M2 |
| 2 | 42223 |
TEAR IT ALL AWAY |
G F Webster | Criag Demmler | C8 M2 |
| 3 | 23335 |
NOTASWETHORT (NZ) |
G F Douglas | Daryl Douglas | C14 M5 |
| 4 | 4sa344 |
BROADWAY PLAY |
S R McLean | Chris Alford | C11 M6 |
| 5 | 594s9 |
BALTIC ICE (EM.1) |
G P Freeman | Jodi Quinlan | C8 M2 |
| 6 | 94836 |
CINCINNATI KID (NZ) |
M Peace | Mark Peace | C16 M11 |
| 7 | 21372 |
JACKSON GRANT |
I C Wilson | Kerryn Manning | C13 M6 |
| 8 | 22156 |
POWER OF TARA (NZ) |
A L Peacock | Nathan Jack | C16 M11 |
| 9 | 4s200 |
MISTER SWINGER |
G F Webster | Geoff Webster | C12 M7 |
| 10 | 19347 |
OHOKA NEVADA (NZ) |
A L Peacock | Damian Wilson | C8 M4 |
| 11 | 35421 |
TANABI BROMAC |
K P Cotchin | Gavin Lang | C9 M3 |
| 12 | 21211 |
KARLOO MICK |
B J Lew | Greg Bennett | C26 M20 |
| 13 | 76814 |
I AM SAM |
A R Tubbs | Amy Tubbs | C15 M10 |