Tanabi Bromac and Gavin Lang, pictured winning the Victoria Derby, will chase another win this Friday night
The On The Attack Wangaratta Pacing Cup wouldn’t have attracted too many Victoria Derby winners in its 28-year history, but it has this year with Tanabi Bromac an acceptor for Friday night’s $8000 event at Shepparton.
The Keith Cotchin-trained star, winner of last season’s three-year-old classic at Moonee Valley, is the star attraction of the event that kicks off the 2008/09 Victorian Country Cup Carnival.
Cotchin said the C6 or better 2190-metre mobile event was an ideal race for the son of Live Or Die, whose only start since finishing third in the Vicbred Super Series 3YO Final on June 6 was a third placing in a C5-C6 event at Charlton on September 29.
“It’s just a nice race to test him in that sort of class,” the Elmore trainer said.
“He’s had the one race and he’s had one trial as well, so he’s still not 100 percent and he’ll improve with each run, but his trackwork’s been excellent and I’m expecting a forward showing.”
Tanabi Bromac, a winner of nine of his 19 starts and almost $200,000 in stakes, placed in the Australian and New South Wales Derbys following his Victorian success.
The Group 1 winner, who is on trial for a trip to Perth for the $175,000 Golden Nugget on November 28, will roll from barrier two in Friday night’s preferential barrier draw event, to be run at 9.34pm.
Cotchin, who was satisfied with Tanabi Bromac’s first-up display, said the good barrier was a bonus against a field of hardened rivals including Melton Plate fourth placegetter Our Malabar (barrier six), boom Kiwi import Megasam (seven) and recent Harold Park metropolitan winner Village Warrior (eight).
“I put him in hoping he’d get a nice barrier (given the conditions of the race),” he said of the C6-assessed gelding. “He’s always drawn poorly, so we were really keen for a good draw to get a gauge on how he’s going.
“First-up it was just the way the race was run that was against him. He got back a fair way and then had to make his run pretty wide, but he seems well and has worked nicely since.”
Gavin Lang will continue his association with Tanabi Bromac on Friday night and the champion Melton reinsman will equal Graeme Wilson’s record of three Wangaratta Cup wins if successful.
Lang joined Wilson as the only men to have partnered multiple Wangaratta Cup winners when he teamed with Advance Attack to win the first of two editions run in 2007, having previously tasted success aboard Rolls And Rolls in 1994.
Wilson scored back-to-back wins behind Deux Dark Ones and Stand High in 1984 and 1985 before teaming with 1991 winner Level Advice.
Daryl Douglas (Megasam) and Chris Alford (Village Thriller, barrier 10) are the only other Wangaratta Cup-winning drivers with an engagement in this year’s race.
