Kerryn Manning and Arden Rooney captured Cup No.4 this season as the former Kiwi gelding scored his seventh straight harness racing win in Saturday night’s Group 2 Park Douglas Printing Mildura Pacing Cup.
The brilliant son of leading sire Bettors Delight, who leads Art Major and Christian Cullen on the national top-20 sires table, ran to the lead inside the 1200m before coming right away for a 16.4-metre success in the 2600m, $50,275 feature.
Manning piloted Arden Rooney, who started $1.60, an absolute treat – keeping him out of the early trouble when Hotasel galloped and unsettled the field – before dictating the second quarter (32.2secs) and then sprinting home in 56.4secs (28.5secs and 27.9secs third and fourth splits).
The winner rated 1:58.6 – his mile rate second only to Safari's in 2007 in the race's record books.
>> Arden Rooney takes out yet another cup
Hotasel, driven by Simon Jardine, ran second from his pole draw at $43.20, hitting the line hard in the final 50m. His run was encouraging given he galloped early, while Major Crocker led from two before trailing Arden Rooney and battled on for third at odds of $7.20.
Lets Elope ran fourth, Beachstar was brave in fifth and Uncle Wingnut was also courageous after a tough run to finish sixth.
Of the beaten brigade Chilli Palmer had no luck in transit, working double-time in the run after getting caught wide around the galloping Hotasel early, while Franco Ledger was also inconvenienced early and failed to run on late.
The Tankard Dental Mildura Guineas went to Glenferrie Bunter (Somebeachsomewhere/Laugh Out Loud) for trainer/driver Ryan Hryhorec, who took the colt to the lead early.
The winner got away with a 31.3secs first quarter before pacing through the second split in 30.3secs.
Glenferrie Bunter upped the tempo significantly down the back, racing well clear with a 28.3secs third stanza, and when he headed down the side it was game over for rivals – the South Australian pacer in a world of his own.
Coming home with a 28.7secs final quarter (57secs last half) Glenferrie Bunter scored by 42.9 metres.
It felt like an eternity waiting for the second horse to clock in, Big Shot Bob working home at $16 for Greg Sugars, with Riley James also hitting the line strongly for Michael Bellman at $15.10 in third.
>> Re-live Glenferrie Bunter's enormous Mildura Guineas win
Emma Stewart and Gavin Lang combined to take out the annual Mark Gurry & Associates Cup with four-year-old Art Major entire Major Secret, who defeated runner-up Sapphire Swayze by 4.9 metres.
From the pole, Major Secret started $1.30 with the bookies and controlled the race with a winning mile rate of 1:59.9.
Ryan Hryhorec took driving honours on Cup night with a winning double courtesy of the abovementioned Guineas triumph and victory on Franck Mercieca-trained Vee Rock – by Universal Rock out of Sands A Flyin Kiwi mare Annie Teaghan – in the Loddon Valley Stud Free-for-All at $13.80.
Boris Devcic finished with a training double, Captain Under Fire (Courage Under Fire/Awakemecate) taking out the Mallee Bearings Pace at $6.40 and striking gelding Soho Jagger (Art Major/Chip And Gale) causing a boil-over in the Mildura Working Man’s Club Pace Final over 2190m, winning at $55.20.
Other winners were Freds A Safari (by previous Mildura Cup winner and race record holder Safari out of Monaloo) in the DNR Logistics Pace, Barnbougle Jack in the Mildura Rural City Council Pace for Ken Tippett (the gelding by Gotta Go Cullect out of Phoebe Mae), Outback Hall (Blissful Hall out of Stoneridge Connie) for Damian Wilson and Tim Mortlock at $18 in the Sunraysia Daily Pace, and Bettors Delight/Morcheeba five-year-old Angus T Jones for Geoff Webster in the Zilzie Wines Pace.
Art Major and Bettors Delight, like they’ve done on numerous prior occasions, shared the breeding honours on the night, each notching a winning double.
The Mildura quaddie paid $328.80 (get full TAB results)
by Cody Winnell
Harness Racing Victoria