Guaranteed, for Emma Stewart,was one of the big winners from the barrier draw. He has opened $1.30 for his heat.
Friday night is likely to be the focus of most attention when the big guns step out at Ballarat but not for those hoping to see the next generation of Grand Circuit horses.
They will be tuned in to Tabcorp Park Melton Saturday night when the VHRSC Victoria Derby heats will be run and won. In all, three heats will be conducted with 12 pacers and one emergency drawn for each.
On first glance it appears that arguably the top three ‘seeds’ have each drawn a different heat.
Flaming Flutter, a winner of the South Australian Derby, will compete in the first heat; Guaranteed, the boom two-year-old and furnished three-year-old, has drawn the second heat; and Bit Of A Legend, who found trouble but still held off all comers in last year’s Breeders Crown, will take his place in race seven, the final heat.
The draw can so often be crucial in giving a horse its best chance of making it through to the final worth $200,000 on Saturday February 2. As always there were winners and there were losers.
John Justice and Chris Alford won’t be complaining after Lennytheshark drew barrier two in the first of the heats. He is coming off two early season wins followed by a strong second to Flaming Flutter in the South Australian Derby.
The competition is likely to come from the Emma Stewart trained Goodtime Mike who is a winner of five from 10 and has drawn in three and Echeveira who has drawn awkwardly in five for Andy Gath but undoubtedly has the talent to be a factor.
The main focus however, is likely to fall on Flaming Flutter but after drawing 11 it makes his assignment much tougher.
Greg Sugars will be in the cart and he has form on Flaming Flutter; first up they drew behind the pole but after being checked at the start he galloped and had to make a wide, sustained run. He went on to win comfortably and that run should hold him in good stead for Saturday night.
In all likelihood Guaranteed will start the shortest priced favourite of the night. He is a horse who has dominated his early career, winning nine from 11. He was almost invincible as a two-year-old and he looks to have returned a better horse this time around.
Caesar Augustus and Ginger Bliss appear to be the key challengers but neither have drawn ideally in five and six respectively.
Keayang Left Hook is the most inexperienced pacer in the field but has shown undeniable talent in his three runs to date. In saying that, he will have to contend with the second row draw of 10.
In the last heat, Bit Of A Legend may have only had two starts in Australia but his prizemoney tally for those runs tops $189,000, a statistic that provides ample evidence of his natural ability.
His ten-length fifth, on New Year’s Eve in New Zealand, as favourite might make you re-consider how he is going but you only have to look at the video to dismiss the run totally. He was put out of the race down the back when the horse in front of him started to tire and gave him nowhere to go; despite that he made plenty of ground late in the piece.
Cran Dalgety and Dexter Dunn won’t be handed the race on a silver platter though, Macha for Dean Braun has been devastating in his only two runs to date and looks to be untapped. He will have to deal with the second outside draw on the back row of 12 but remains a hope on what he has shown on race day.
Keayang Starzzz will also have his admirers although handed the worst possible draw of 12. He pushed Guaranteed less than a week ago at Terang and won’t have to meet him again until the final of the series if they are to both make it.
The first four horses home in each heat will make it through to the final with the fastest fifth taking the place of emergency.
For all the fields and draws for Saturday nights card of racing at Tabcorp Park Melton
click here.