Pressure; driver Greg Sugars takes the drive aboard Sushi Sushi in Saturday night's Gr.1 $125,000 Petstock Ballarat Pacing Cup
The stage is set for an epic harness racing showdown.
The Gr.1 $125,000 Petstock Ballarat Pacing Cup will feature the first time clash between heavyweights Smoken Up and Sushi Sushi at Bray Raceway.
Smoken Up has been rampant throughout this seasons Grand Circuit features, claiming victories in the NZ FFA, Miracle Mile, Victoria and SA Cups while his heir apparent Sushi Sushi has been clinical in his three victories this campaign.
The barrier draw has also played an important role, making the 2710m event even more fascinating with Sushi Sushi drawing the outside of the front-line whereas Smoken Up will start from the second-row in gate ten.
Star young reinsman Greg Sugars, is the regular driver for the freakish talent Sushi Sushi but made the most of his opportunity when he sat behind Smoken Up in his most recent victory, The Gr.1 $100,000 SA Cup on January 14 at Globe Derby Park, Adelaide for his injured trainer Lance Justice.
Smoken Up will be handled for the first time this weekend by champion reinsman Chris Alford.
Alford, the current leading driver in the country, is yet to taste victory in the Ballarat feature but believes he will never get a better opportunity than this weekend when he takes the lines behind Australasia’s fastest pacer.
Surprisingly, Smoken Up has rarely ventured to Ballarat with the champion pacer boasting a record of two wins and one minor placing from only four starts. His only unplaced effort came in last year’s Cup when unplaced behind Kiwi Star Stunin Cullen while Sushi Sushi has never raced at the track previously.
The Ballarat Cup achieved Grand Circuit status in 2006 and has produced many memorable finishes, who will ever forget when Safari defeated Blacks A Fake after racing on his outside for the entire journey?
Will Smoken Up need to produce a Safari-like performance to upstage his younger opponent?
The 9yo is racing in career best form and shows no signs of slowing down while Sushi Sushi seems unmoved in rattling off brilliant sectionals start after start.
The Art Major 4yo is aiming for his 17th straight victory but takes a quantum leap in class when he tackles pacing’s elite for the first time.
The questions remains – can he make that transition?
The last time Sushi Sushi tasted defeat was in his rookie season when narrowly defeated by Royal Verdict in the Gr.1 $308,000 Australasian Breeders Crown Final at TABCORP Park, Melton.
Sugars has sat behind the powerful gelding on 19 occasions, his only blemish was that fateful day in August 2010.
New Zealand raiders Pembrook Benny, Highview Tommy and The Gold Ace all appear capable of causing the upset of upsets but have gone largely unnoticed because of the hype surrounding the two Australian stars.
Pembrook Benny is ideally suited from the inside gate while Highview Tommy will strip a sharper horse after a tough run in last week’s Shepparton Cup. The Gold Ace will need luck after drawing badly in thirteen but did trial stylishly on Monday night at TABCORP Park, Melton.
Former Victoria Cup winner Melpark Major has drawn well in gate three for father/daughter combination of Alan and Amy Tubbs but the giant gelding was a beaten favourite at his most recent start in the Horsham Cup on January 8.
Heza Trick, Our Malabar, Villagem, Decorated Jasper and Captain Joy all boast fantastic form and can’t be taken lightly.
If Decorated Jasper happens to win, it will cap a memorable moment for his trainer Paul Rowse who is the club’s chief executive.
The lone New South Wales representative is the former local pacer Hesa Buzzin, a full-brother to the 2007 champion Sting Lika Bee.
There is no doubt the Ballarat Pacing Cup is fast becoming one of the great races on the Australasian Grand Circuit calendar with names like Robin Hood, Flashing Red, Just An Excuse, Jofess, Shakamaker, Yulestar and Our Sir Vancelot vindicating the strength of the Cup.
And the 2012 winner will only add to that list of past champions.
