This Friday Night, September 10, will see the Media Guild Cup pacing event run at Gloucester Park. Open to M3 or better contenders, this race is run over 2,103 metres and carries a purse worth a very generous $17,500.
Plenty of harness racing fans (and punters) will be eagerly awaiting the race as it will be another appearance by the all-dominating Has The Answers. Not only that, but driver Chris Lewis is seeking his fifth Media Guild Cup title. The master reinsman drove Village Kid to Media Guild Cup victory in 1987 and 1991. He followed it up with a win with Paly (2002) and No Blue Manna (2007). A fifth title is likely in the cards for this experienced driver as there doesn’t seem to be another pacer out there that can keep up with the blistering speed of Has The Answers.
The brown gelding will be going into this race as the odds on favourite to win, and it’s no wonder as he has developed a reputation for being quick out of the gate as well as a strong stayer that normally controls the pace. Has The Answers has one win in one start this season as he came in first place in the New Seasons Pace just a week ago. He finished a full 5m over second place Motu Treasure. Punters interested in taking a stab at this year’s Media Guild Cup would be crazy not to back this horse for the win. He will be starting from barrier number six.
Stable mate Mysta Magical Mach is once again being touted as the only horse that could possible keep up with Has The Answers. The Tony Svilicich-trained horse also has a knack for starting strong and developing strong speed through the race. In fact, the bay gelding placed third in the New Seasons Pace and second (behind Has The Answers) in last season’s Spring Stakes. The Media Guild Cup should see another top effort from the pacing contender.
Other horses that are expected to do well include Gary Bromac (barrier two), Sheer Royalty (barrier eight), and Albert Jaccka (barrier five).
The Media Guild Cup will be race number seven on the night’s card, starting at 8:50pm. Be sure to get to SportsBet to check out all the available odds on this and all of the pacing events going on at Gloucester Park this Friday night.
2010 Media Guild Cup Field & Barrier Draw:
| No. | Form | Horse | Trainer | Driver | Class | Hcp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32285 | Touch Me Toes | KT Charles | Grant Williams | C16 M4 | FR1 |
| 2 | 36601 | Gary Bromac NZ | RA Olivieri | Christopher Voak (C) | C13 M3 | FR2 |
| 3 | 9s188 | Spiritwithin | PJ Fletcher | Also Cortopassi | C11 M3 | FR3 |
| 4 | 82945 | Hy Royale | K Schreyvogel | Trevor Warwick | C11 M4 | FR4 |
| 5 | 211s1 | Albert Jaccka | GE Hall (Snr) | Gary Hall (Jnr) | C13 M6 | FR5 |
| 6 | 12211 | Has The Answers | T Svilicich | Chris Lewis | C44 M26 | FR6 |
| 7 | s4070 | Parasite NZ | NA Hall | Nathan Turvey | C13 M3 | FR7 |
| 8 | 10511 | Sheer Royalty | MG Reed | Mark Reed | C7 M3 | FR8 |
| 9 | 45323 | Mysta Magical Mach NZ | T Svilicich | Morgan Woodley | C18 M13 | FR9 |
| Second Row | ||||||
| 10 | 05148 | Flamin Tact NZ | CA King | Robbie Williams (C, cl) | C9 M3 | SR1 |
| 11 | 84718 | Spunky Monkey | KN Hawkins | Ryan Bell | C9 M3 | SR2 |