Honolua Bay out and Bulletproof Boy in.
I wonder if that does good for the race as BB may try get the early lead and put some early heat into it.
Will also be a good chance for anyone who whinged as to why BB wasnt in the original field to see why he wasnt included!
I thought it was semi-ridiculous for Honolua to be tackling it first up (mind you Capt Rav went into The Eureka first up).
I always thought BB's draw could make it interesting if somebody came out.
How fast is Better Eclipse? He would not want BB crossing him
Greg Sugars was a Champion harness racing person
Better Eclipse should hold his own from barrier 1 but I am sure they would have preferred a gentle hand up to RNR Who.
Ravishing scratched
Act Now $71 now. Jump on!!!!
Have a look at last year's race again Brendan
Better Eclipse was 1 and RNR was 3, Better got easy sit, RNR not hurried at start got Death.
Why should Better be able to do any better this year?
Act How was $101
Last year's race
https://www.harness.org.au/racing/fi...22#MXM08102201
Greg Sugars was a Champion harness racing person
I was only saying Better should hold his own in response to your question about Bulletproof crossing him.Originally Posted by Messenger
I know it sounds like I thought you believed in Better Eclipse but what I was meaning to say was - do you agree that the odds for Better Eclipse have got a bit skinny at $7
Greg Sugars was a Champion harness racing person
Ahh I see.
I've said all along last years Vic Cup proved nothing about who was the best horse who finished in the top4. RNR Doo had a headstart on them when they cornered and they got home in 26.8 so 2nd-4th mathematically couldnt have done any more. They get home in a 27.5 tonight Better Eclipse is a decent chance of running him down. Thats if Bulletproof doesnt make Betters work too hard early. I thought $7 would have been ok before the scratchings but as soon as Honolua was scratched I was glad I hadnt backed him at that price. $10-$11 maybe more appropriate?
Remembering this year we have Leap to Fame who is raging ID fave
I just don't want Jason Grimson to win with another claimer. I don't know how he does it but legit or not - it does nothing for the credibility of the sport when he manages these amazing turnarounds.
Greg Sugars was a Champion harness racing person
Not a lot of talk about The Victoria Derby in the media, and there should be.
Barrier draws have thrown open the field with Stewart's more fancied runners drawn the second row. Her front row starter Celebrity Royal is only having it's third start, so the race is a big ask for him. Most of the publicity and talk after last week's heats was about The Lost Storm's "failure" and The Real Sherlock being an "upset" winner. Really?
Petracca, the other heart winner, got away with a dawdling 63.6 first half of the last mile. No surprise then, after being unchallenged, he sprinted his last quarter in 26.2. His overall time was a full 3.7 seconds slower than the following heat.
The Lost Storm led easily from the pole but the pace was genuine throughout, thanks to The Real Sherlock working three wide for the first lap before gaining a breather. They ran home in 54.4 with the last quarter in 26.2, the same as Petracca's last quarter.
The Real Sherlock, despite spending the first 1,000 metres three wide, was clocked to run his last quarter in 25.8. At his previous, more leisurely, start he ran his last quarter in 25.6 seconds. This has been reported as the fastest last quarter ever recorded at Melton. Interestingly, both his wins were over tonight's journey of 2760 metres. And this distance is the key to tonight's race.
The Lost Storm had a veterinary examination after the race, an endoscope revealed a grade 1 pulmonary haemorrhage (a few traces of blood in the trachea). The horse was stood down pending another endoscope and a veterinary certificate before being allowed to race. I assume this has been done but, in the usual HRV need-to-know practice, I have seen no mention of the horse being cleared.
But this is all smoke and mirrors. Although the horse bolted-in th Queensland Derby in July, over 2680 metres, it was against inferior opposion than what he met last week and tonight. He failed over 2400m in the Eureka, the next longest distance he has raced over. 2240m at Melton appears to have been his pet distance.
In short, The Lost Storm simply couldn't handle the 2680 metres at break-neck speed last week. It won't get any easier tonight.
Contrast that with The Real Sherlock. This horse can really sprint, and sprints quickly. He has very high gate speed of which we have only seen a small sample of in Australia. When he came here it was thought he would thrive in 2240 metre races. In reality he has developed into a first-class stayer who can run scintillating secondly times. He is a far more mature horse than the one that raced in Auckland during the Autumn. All of this and a front row draw makes him the horse to beat.
Also in the Derby, he is quite possibly only racing for 3rd but I think Captain Hammerhead could be a good thing for a place. He was only driven to qualify last week
Greg Sugars was a Champion harness racing person
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