Howards Dilemma wins her Vicbred semi final
Howards Dilemma was an upset winner of her Vicbred Super Series 4YO Mares semi final last weekend and she has drawn to repeat the dose in Friday night's $100,000 Group 1 final at Moonee Valley.
The Chris Alford-trained-and-driven mare came up with the coveted inside barrier in the Bolinda Publishing-sponsored 2575-metre event in which some of the big names fared poorly.
Alford said the draw presents the daughter of Pacific Fella, a luckless fifth placegetter in last year's three-year-old Vicbred final, with her chance to upset the big guns.
"She raced back last week, but she's got the speed to hold up early and she's come through last week's race well, so I couldn't be happier after the draw," he said.
The daughter of Pacific Fella will settle much closer than she did last week when she went back from barrier six before hitching a ride in the three-wide train to overpower her rivals.
She got home from reigning Australian 3YO Filly of the Year, Kept For Pleasure, who was handed a horror outside-back-row draw of 12 for the final.
Last year's Vicbred heroine Staccato, who won last week's other semi, fared only marginally better in barrier 10.
Speedy beginner Sophie Pass, an odds-on favourite when beaten by Staccato last week, will get her chance to atone after being allotted barrier four.
The mares final will be run at 9.42pm and is one of two Group 1 Vicbred finals on the eight-race card.
The $50,000 3YO Trotters decider will be run at 7.42pm and brings together a crack field including defending champion Trottn On The Ritz (barrier 11), the talented-but-erratic Down Under Muscles (12) and APG winner Let Me Thru (seven).
Friday night's other feature is the $20,000 Group 3 Renown Silverware Emerging Stars Trotters Handicap Final (2575m) at 7.12pm, in which Chris Lang-trained pair Skyvalley and Kyvalley Mac are joint backmarkers off 20m.
