Talented Flaming Flutter has never lost from stand-start conditions.
Trainer/driver Geoff Webster takes a two-pronged attack into Sunday’s $60,505 Jet Roofing Kilmore Pacing Cup and he’s hoping to add a second Kilmore feature trophy to his cabinet following the 2013 success of Mister Zion in the club’s Trotters Cup.
Webster’s leading chance this year looks to be in-form five-year-old Flaming Flutter, who is yet to be beaten in three goes from stand-starts.
Last season’s Boort Pacing Cup winner is coming off a last-start win at Melton on October 10 when he stepped smartly from 10 metres and won by 5.5 metres over Im Samuel Jones.
“He’s going very well,” Webster said of the son of Bettors Delight/Twice As Hot.
“This is a step up in grade but with the right run he’s right in with a chance.
“He’s always been against the best horses through his career so he’s definitely up to the class.”
Flaming Flutter is a quick beginner from the tapes and will be looking to take a forward position in the run early in Sunday’s 3050-metre Group 2 feature.
Webster will steer Flaming Flutter with Emmett Brosnan the likely reinsman for stablemate Cut For An Ace.
“It’s a big step up (in class) for Cut For An Ace but he ran second one night to Maximan and he seems to like stand-starts,” Webster said.
Guaranteed and Maximan are expected to dominate the market for the cup on Sunday, Maximan coming off an easy VHRSC Classic win and Guaranteed an impressive Swan Hill Pacing Cup winner last weekend.
Guaranteed rated 1:59.1 over the 2790 metres at Swan Hill to defeat Road To Rock, which also lines up in the Kilmore Cup, by 2.1 metres, but trainer Emma Stewart said the five-year-old star could have won by a lot further.
“He didn’t have to pull the plugs at any stage,” she said of last Saturday night’s win. “His win was pretty easy.”
Shannon McLean trained mare Broadways Best will have her swansong run in the Kilmore Pacing Cup, the nine-year-old Village Jasper/Broadway Gal pacer running fourth to Maximan last Friday night.
Three-time country cups winner Im Corzin Terror comes in well at the handicaps for Sunday’s feature race and has drawn gate four on the front line for Avalon trainer Amanda Grieve.
The seven-year-old son of Western Terror/Corzanello captured the silverware at Maryborough, Terang and Bendigo last season.
This time in Im Corzin Terror is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Swan Hill Pacing Cup when he was forced to punch the breeze and two starts back he ran fourth in the Laser Electrical Ballarat Lightning Mile.
Bettor Rock On has loads of potential for Team Sugars, the Ross Sugars trained, Greg Sugars driven son of Bettors Delight/Jingle Bells winning six straight races after arriving in Australia from New Zealand before a forgivable last placing in the City of Melton Plate (when had no luck in the run and copped a bad check) and a last-start second to Maximan in the VHRSC Classic.
Maximan is a star in the making and has drawn seven for husband and wife team, trainer Andy Gath and reinswoman Kate Gath.
From the strands Maximan has raced eight times for three wins and three minor placings.
The son of Armbro Operative/Clifton Beauty won three straight races after arriving in Australia from New Zealand before finishing second to Abettorpunt in the Lightning Mile.
He dictated terms in front in the VHRSC Classic before thundering home in 54.6 seconds for the last half.
Gavin Lang will again have the reins aboard star pacer Guaranteed, who is shooting for win number 23 at start 33 on Sunday.
The Artsplace/Jadah Rose horse is third-up this time in after impressive wins in the City of Melton Plate and Swan Hill Pacing Cup.
Road To Rock ran well behind Guaranteed last time out at Swan Hill but the Keith Cotchin trained seven-year-old son of Village Jasper/Diva La Diva has his work cut out for him from a back-row draw.
The veteran of Sunday’s field is 10-year-old Tinted Cloud/Cabsav Jaccka gelding Jaccka Clive from the David Aiken stable.
Jaccka Clive, who won the Shepparton Gold Cup in 2012, is racing a few rungs below his best of late and the back-row draw is no help here.
Paul Rowse puts the polish on seven-year-old Village Jasper/Cultured Lombo gelding Savesomtimetodream, who will be steered by regular pilot Jodi Quinlan on Sunday from gate 11.
Savesomtimetodream was third at Swan Hill behind Guaranteed, but he worked hard late after taking off down the back straight, and started 10 metres behind Guaranteed at the handicaps, on that occasion. His run was super.
Brett Cargill has Our White Knight from gate 12 in the Kilmore Cup, the nine-year-old Our Sir Vancelot/Unquote gelding racing well of late without winning.
Finally, the field is rounded out by Highview Conall, a five-year-old Christian Cullen/Signorina gelding who will need to produce the run of his life to win from the extreme draw for trainer Amanda Turnbull.
Jack In Flight is the first emergency in the race and will come out of gate two if he gets a run.
