After being second past the post in last years Devonport Cup, the Tammy Langley-trained Be Major Threat will be back to contest Saturday night’s Group 3 feature at the Devonport Showgrounds.
The pacer was later put back to fourth placing after a protest in the 2021 edition, but reinsman Dylan Ford believes the result could have been a bit different.
“He ran a clear second, but I think he would have won it if he got out a little bit earlier,” said Ford.
Be Major Threat goes into this year’s cup with two wins from his last two outings after having a freshen up from a disappointing effort in the Danbury Park Cup in late November.
“He was a little bit disappointing in Launceston in the Danbury Park Cup where he over-raced, which he doesn’t normally do, so Mum gave him a break, and he has come back and won his last two,” explained Ford.
Be Major Threat started off the front mark in last years cup but will start from 20m in this year’s race, with the other handicapped runners being Izaha, who will start off 10m while last years winner Ryley Major and his stablemate Lip Reader, who was promoted to second in last years cup after the protest, will share the 30m back mark in the 3020m event.
Ford rates last years winner as one of the hardest to beat.
“Ryley Major, you just can’t leave him out but I reckon Resurgent Storm drawn the top of the track on the front mark could ping away, and if he lobs on top he will take a bit of beating,” explained Ford.
The history books are against Cup favourite Ryley Major in his quest for back to back cups.
While Alex Hinkler (1932 and dead-heated in 1934), Granny Smith (1963 and 1965) and Daman (2003 and 2005) have claimed the North-West Coast’s premier harness race on two occasions, no horse in 77 runnings of the cup has won the race in consecutive years, but bookmakers expect that that will change at 20:35 on Saturday night.
The first of 10-races is set down for 17:48 with the first two races to be shown on Sky Racing 2, with the remainder of the card on Sky Racing 1, which includes the Coastal Pacing Thousand, the Mares Incentive and the Dash For Cash.
The meeting will also be live hosted on TasracingTV by Jacob Bevis and Adrian Collins.
