Catch Your Breath looks one of the leading chances in Friday night's Claiming Masters Final at Tabcorp Park
Kangaroo Flat trainers Tony and Mary Dillon are hoping their six-year-old Catch Your Breath can prove too polished for its rivals in the Sky Racing Claiming Masters Final on Friday night.
The final of the claimers’ series, which will be Race 1 at Melton’s Tabcorp Park, will see a capacity field of in-form pacers battle it out for a share in $20,000 prize money.
Catch Your Breath has scored an awkward draw, with just one rival outside him on the second row, but Mary Dillon says the fact he’s the “best horse with the best driver” will hold the son of Blissful Hall in good stead.
“It was an excellent run last week. He had to pull out a bit earlier than we’d like, but it was a really good run,” she said.
“If he can get a bit of cover and get a good run into the race he’ll be hard to beat.”
A winner of 16 races from 46 career starts, Catch Your Breath boasts prize money of just shy of $100,000.
Dillon said tactics in the race would be left completely in the hands of master reinsman Brian Gath, who knows the horse inside out.
“We’ll let Brian make that decision,” she said when quizzed about tactics from the extreme draw.
“He knows the horse well enough and it’s only a split second he’s got out there, so we leave all that up to him.”
But Dillon says Catch Your Breath is a versatile pacer, able to come from behind or do it the tough way up on the pace if that’s how things pan out.
With a more user-friendly draw, barrier 4, Dean Braun-trained Cosmic Under Fire with Chris Alford in the spider looks Catch Your Breath’s main danger on Friday night.
The nine-year-old son of “Mighty Mouse” Courage Under Fire is racing in career-best form with five wins from his past six outings.
Polemaker Ultimate Deal should appreciate the pegs draw, while Cincinnati Kid, Pembrook Henry, Thats Mr Ali and Washmepockets are just some of the other key players in what looks a tough race to call.
Catch Your Breath will target country cups after Friday night, Dillon earmarking the Swan Hill Cup as a likely project.
The claimers do battle early on Friday, at 5.18pm.
