Noted frontrunner Tuxedo Tour has bright prospects of enhancing his claims for selection in the list of 30 pacers to contest the $1.8 million TABtouch Interdominion championship later this year by winning the $23,000 Media Guild Cup at the harness racing meeting at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Then handsome black horse is favourably drawn at barrier three and appeals as the likely pacemaker over the sprint trip of 1730m.
He put the writing on the wall last Friday week when he started from the No. 6 barrier, burst to the front after 150m, set a brisk pace and fought on grimly to be second to the brilliant Bettors Fire in the 2536m August Cup.
The West Australian-bred seven-year-old should relish the drop in distance this week.
He has contested races over 1609m, 1684m and 1700m only four times for two wins and two seconds.
Purchased by Tom Marsden for $18,000 at the 2009 Gloucester Standardbred yearling sale and raced by Marsden and his son Rod in partnership with Martin, Colin and Stephen Campbell, Tuxedo Tour has proved a bargain buy, having earned $160,786 from 13 wins and 20 placings from 49 starts.
He showed plenty of early promise and he scored a stylish all-the-way victory in the $100,000 group 1 State Sires Series for three-year-old colts and geldings at Gloucester Park in July 2012.
Herne Hill trainer Kevin Keys has given Tuxedo Tour a thorough preparation, with a start in the Inters the ultimate objective.
Northview Punter, an M8-class performer, is, by far, the tightest-assessed runner in the field and looks likely to be one of the hardest for Tuxedo Tour (a M2-class pacer) to beat.
Northview Punter, trained by Gary Hall sen., will start from the outside barrier (No. 9) in the field of nine.
He was one of the main fancies in last year's 2130m Media Guild Cup when he started from the outside of the back line in a field of ten.
He settled at the rear, moved to fifth (three wide) at the bell before wilting to seventh behind stablemate Our Arlington.
He started from the outside in a field of eight in the 2130m New Seasons Pace last Friday night when he raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs, before finishing doggedly into third place behind Bettors Fire and This Time Dylan.
Three six-year-old mares, Am Opulent, Jungle Genie and Indomitable, will run in this year's Media Guild Cup, with Am Opulent having solid each-way claims from barrier four after her excellent third behind Why Live Dangerously and Fernleigh Rebel over 2130m last Friday week after she had worked hard in the breeze.
However, mares face a tough task in this event.
Only one mare has been successful in the 35 runnings of the Media Guild Cup —Via Vista, who was driven by Bill Duffy to victory over Rhett's Law and Melfield Tyros in 1984.
Ken Casellas