Victoria Cup, Derby, Trotting Championship - Saturday

[Messenger]

http://www.harness.org.au/fields.cfm?mc=MX300116&fromstate=vic

It will be an interesting one. Hopefully if a contender finds the lead, the opposition will make it tough, knowing it is only a 2240m event, which may then may open it up for swoopers like WA horses that have drawn 12 (sorry Rod - how do you feel about Sprinter drawing 6/7 in the derby?)

http://www.harnesslink.com/Australia/Rematch-in-the-400-000-Victoria-Cup

[Amlin]

No sponsor for the Victoria Cup?

[Adaptor]

The Good Form Victoria Cup.....is Good Form the TAB, or HRV?

[Messenger]

Reading this

http://goodform.trot.com.au/about-us/

I am thinking - no sponsor

[Mighty Atom]

http://www.harness.org.au/fields.cfm?mc=MX300116&fromstate=vic

It will be an interesting one. Hopefully if a contender finds the lead, the opposition will make it tough, knowing it is only a 2240m event, which may then may open it up for swoopers like WA horses that have drawn 12 (sorry Rod - how do you feel about Sprinter drawing 6/7 in the derby?)

http://www.harnesslink.com/Australia/Rematch-in-the-400-000-Victoria-Cup

Hi Kev, Sprinter given not drawn outside barrier on front My Hard Copy outside the back line. I would be giving Harness Racing Victoria the finger and concentrate on Menangle.

[Mighty Atom]

No sponsor for the Victoria Cup?

They deserve it.

[Toohard]

Hi Kev, Sprinter given not drawn outside barrier on front My Hard Copy outside the back line. I would be giving Harness Racing Victoria the finger and concentrate on Menangle.



Gday Rod. The connections got to draw their own barriers yesterday. Not such a bad draw for Sprinter I reckon. Guess he has to go back now. The pole horse has gone forward at the start from back row draws at it's last 2 starts to lead. Given it's drawn 1 you'd expect it won't be handing up to any of the front line horses. But then you also have Don't Hold Back and Brallos Pass off the front who have also raced forward at last 2 starts. Tipping they'll all want to be up front expecting Lazarus to make a run early on so could be a decent speed race. Given the way Sprinter got home at Ballarat if he gets a nice quiet run he'll be motoring home at the end. Nice horse.


Vic Cup looks like Smolda leads and Lenny sits parked like Ballarat Cup. Lenny won't hand up the death so guessing there won't be a lot of moves (like last year) and as a spectacle the race will be a fizzer (like last year).

[cyclone george]

Derby is a very good race with 4-5 chances , Lazarus in all his wins this year has had everything go his way most of the time , with slow first halves[last week 61 ,these day is crawling at ballarat] . Don't hold back did a lot of work early last week and if got out earlier wins by a lot. Sprinter ran the quickest last half last week and hit the line hard . Power of red with a sit on the speed up close etc . I can see Lazarus posted 3 wide for a while and at $1.40 is not value. Pity it wasn't over 2500 ,if they run a quarter over 30 at any stage would we find the best stayer ! Probably not . Just the horse that got the best run.

[Messenger]

http://www.harnesslink.com/Australia/Smolda-to-try-for-the-lead-in-Victoria-Cup

Mark Purdon on Smolda


“I can’t remember the last time we asked him to go hard off the gate but I realise we have to this week.
So I will give him a brisk warm-up and get his mind on the job and I am sure he will leave pretty quickly.
But whether that will be quick enough to hold Lenny, I don’t know"

[Messenger]

A deserved win by Lenny albeit narrowly.
It would appear to have been an exciting race but with two quarters in the 30's over the short distance - it was going to take a miracle for anything to beat Lenny other than Smolda on his back
As much as I have been an advocate for small tracks as our point of difference, watching all these French clips, I could be convinced of the benefits of larger tracks/longer straights

Approaching midnight and HRV/HRA results still only have replays for the first 4 races up - not good enough
(one of the times I appreciate Sky - well there website anyway)

[The Escape Club]

Was it the trotting championship that nearly gave me motion sickness. It looked like the camera was attached to a sulky it was jumping around that much. Poor.

[aussiebreno]

A deserved win by Lenny albeit narrowly.
It would appear to have been an exciting race but with two quarters in the 30's over the short distance - it was going to take a miracle for anything to beat Lenny other than Smolda on his back
As much as I have been an advocate for small tracks as our point of difference, watching all these French clips, I could be convinced of the benefits of larger tracks/longer straights

Approaching midnight and HRV/HRA results still only have replays for the first 4 races up - not good enough
(one of the times I appreciate Sky - well there website anyway)
Not sure what it would have changed tonight (a Lenny runs out of gas b Smolda gets easy lead or Lenny gets break enough to still win) but the race needs to be 2700. Allow a horse to work in the middle stages. Derby probably needs to be as well.

[Amlin]

Given that horses are so well gaited/tractable today and tracks are so well cambered, would starting the race on the bend with an angled mobile present as many challenges as it has in previous years?

It could open up more variety in race distances on larger tracks.

[Smoken]

Congratulations to Lenny & everyone involved with the Shark! I'm glad Smolda made it a race, as they are 2 of my favourite horses going around, along with little Messini. Can't wait to see Lenny savage Beautide :)