Harness punters have a new option on which to bet with TAB Sportsbet conducting a Driver Challenge on tonight’s SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup meeting at Melton’s Tabcorp Park.
A bet type that has been popular with gallops punters for years, the Driver Challenge will operate along similar lines.
Punters have the choice of seven drivers – plus an “Any Other Individual Driver” option – with points allocated on a 3-2-1 basis to the first three overt the line in all 10 events.
The driver with the most points at the end of the night will be the winner.
Chris Alford, who has drives in seven races including top fancies Moon Spirit (Race 2), Maffioso (Race 7) and Alby Albert (Race 9) headed the market at $1.85 when TAB Sportsbet opened betting 1pm on Thursday.
Jodi Quinlan was next in line at $4.40 from Damian Wilson ($7) with Daryl Douglas at $15 and Lance Justice $17.
Gavin Lang and Amy Tubbs are the outsiders of the field at $21 with the Any Other Individual Driver option a $6.50 chance.
TAB Sportsbet will reassess the market after each of the first three races, after which betting will close.
For more information, go to
www.tab.com.au click on the TAB Sportsbet logo and go to the “jockey challenge” link at the left of the page.
The Driver Challenge isn’t the only initiative on tonight’s cracking card with the TAB nominating the program as its December Jackpots Weekend fixture.
The culmination of the two-night SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup Carnival will carry a lucrative Quaddie jackpot with three races to also have an infusion of First 4 funds.
Almost $30,000 worth of Quaddie funds not won during November are already in the pool, while more than $33,000 in First 4 jackpots will be spread over three races.
The biggest of those is a $13,087 jackpot on the night’s feature, the Group 1 SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup, which is race eight on the card at 9.40pm.
There are also $10,000 carryovers on the night’s opening event, at 6.05pm, and the Aldebaran Park Stud Bill Collins Trotters Sprint at 8.40pm (race six).
The $29,562 Quaddie jackpot is sure to make that popular bet type even more enticing and punters should note that with a 10-race card, tonight’s Quaddie kicks off one race later than usual.
The first leg is race five, the Group 3 VHRSC Sires Classic, at 8.10pm.
Short-priced favourites Skyvalley (Bill Collins Sprint) and Smoken Up (Victoria Cup) are sure to be popular with anchor punters, but Harness Racing Victoria form analyst Michael Polster is going wider in search of value.
He’s taking Dream Catch Me and Enthral along with fancied pair Palais Du Louvre and Two Eye See in the opener and is taking Springbank Richard and Sundons Gift along with Skyvalley in the trot.
He will be taking four in the third leg, the SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup Consolation at 9.10pm, with the Victoria Cup the race he’s gone widest in despite the presence of $2.30 favourite Smoken Up from the pole.
Along with the Lance Justice-trained star, Polster has included Blacks A Fake, Melpark Major, Bettors Strike and Monkey King.
“There are some deserved short-priced favourites and while they are deserved of their short quote, they are by no means over the line and the Quaddie looks a good one to chase a bit of value,” Polster said.
A $50 investment on Polster’s numbers of 1, 2, 3 and 7 into 3, 9 and 10 into 1, 2, 8 and 10 into 1, 3, 5, 9 and 13 will have you alive for 20.83 percent of the dividend.
Punters will also be treated to a special offer in today's Herald Sun, which is redeemable at Tabcorp Park on the night.
