For those of you harness racing fans out there that are following the outcome of The Battle of the Claimers, the series of qualifying heats are about to culminate in the Decron Horse Care Battle of the Claimers Final. It’s a pace over 2,240 metres for the shot at a very generous $20,000 purse.
As the field was whittled down through three qualifying heats, the best of the new on-the-market horses will be facing off in this final event. With a field packed with top contenders, this pacing event is definitely worth checking out. There are plenty of frontrunners going into this, but, if past performances are any indication, the three horses to watch are Palomine, Miami Rocket, and Dark Duncan. The three horses won their respective qualifying heats leading up to this race, which gives them a distinct advantage. Miami Rocket is sitting in the best position in barrier number six.
While plenty of punters will be looking to these three horses for a win, there is plenty of other talent in this field that is worth checking out. Brulea Charlie, who took a third place finish in his qualifying heat, had one of the better winning records last season in Australia. The gelding’s second row position will be a tough hurdle to cross, but he started much the same last week and still managed a third place finish.
Hitemup in the pole position and Just Stay N Alive in barrier two are also worth considering as both had plenty of experience last season and posted some competitive best winning mile rates.
The Decron Horse Care Battle of the Claimers Final will be race number two on the Tabcorp Park’s card this Friday, September 10. Be sure to get to SportsBet to check out the odds on this upcoming race, as you won’t find better odds anywhere else.
2010 Battle of the Claimers Final Field and Barrier Draw:
| Place | Form | Horse | Trainer | Driver | Class | Hcp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 87964 | Hitemup ($4,000) | DP Barbetti | David Barbetti | C9 M0 | FR1 |
| 2 | 13554 | Just Stay N Alive NZ ($4,000) | A Xiriha | Tony Xiriha | C14 M4 | FR2 |
| 3 | 77423 | Our Sand Fly NZ ($4,000) | GF Douglas | Daryl Douglas | C10 M0 | FR3 |
| 4 | 03314 | Jay Bee Aitch ($6,000) | JM Mifsud | Phillip Walters | C11 M2 | FR4 |
| 5 | 21182 | Ticket Time ($7,000) | JM Mifsud | Phillip Walters | C15 M0 | FR5 |
| 6 | 21221 | Miami Rocket NZ ($11,000) | GF Douglas | Daryl Douglas | C6 M1 | FR6 |
| 7 | 98701 | Dark Duncan NZ ($11,000) | GF Douglas | Daryl Douglas | C11 M1 | FR7 |
| Second Row | ||||||
| 8 | s0882 | Altivo ($7,000) | L Miles | Lisa Miles | C7 M0 | SR1 |
| 9 | 56972 | The Timely Trader NZ ($8,000) | A Spiteri | Neil McCallum | C10 M1 | SR2 |
| 10 | 21173 | Brulea Charlie ($12,000) | DF Braun | Chris Alford | C7 M0 | SR3 |
| 11 | 57401 | Palomine NZ ($12,000) | BA Lilley | Michael Stanley | C15 M5 | SR4 |
| 12 | 23415 | Vintage Direct (Em1, $12,000) | JA Cavallare | SCRATCHED | C14 M0 | SCR |
| 13 | f3423 | Upward Ever Upward ($12,000) | BK Woodhouse | Scott Dyer | C12 M1 | SR5 |