Smoken Up may be in retirement but he will make a guest appearance at the Bendigo Cup.
In exciting news for the Bendigo and Central Victorian Clubs, legendary pacer “Smoken Up” has been placed back into light work in preparation for a guest appearance at the Bendigo Pacing Cup on January 17th.
The winner of over $3.6 million in prizemoney and 74 races, including 13 Group 1 victories and a best mile rate of 1:48.5, Smoken Up will lead the Petstock Bendigo Pacing Cup onto the track before what is expected to be a bumper crowd.
Smoken Up’s mentor during his racing career, Lance Justice, says that Smoken Up “has been lounging around in his retirement paddock over recent months and will relish the chance to get back out before a great crowd once again”.
As a further bonus to headline Smoken Up’s appearance, Lisa Justice has announced that Ranvet, who sponsor Smoken Up, will present all ten winning trainers on the night with a 5 Litre container of Neutraline Plus, valued at $65 each.
And in even more exciting news, Lance has offered the opportunity for one up-and-coming Junior Driver to drive Smoken Up during his guest appearance.
The lucky driver will be selected from those Junior Drivers participating in the Central Victorian Concession Drivers Championship, to be run in conjunction with the upcoming Central Victorian Pacing and Trotting Championships.
Open to Concession Drivers with less than 50 Career Wins, heats will be run across a range of classes at Maryborough on January 5th, Boort at Charlton on January 7th, Wedderburn at Maryborough on January 15th and Charlton on January 22nd.
Following the running of the first three heats, one lucky driver will be selected to drive Smoken Up based upon his potential, plus skill and professionalism displayed during the Concession Drivers Series.
Bendigo Sales And Marketing Manager Brendan Baker spoke about the boon for the club recently.
“This will be a great opportunity for harness enthusiasts to see one of the recent greats of harness racing in the flesh once again,” he said.
“What a great thrill it will be for one lucky Junior Driver to be able to boast on his driving resume that he once drove Smoken Up on Bendigo Cup Night.
“It will indeed be a huge additional drawcard for our event.
“Special thanks must go to Lance for offering this wonderful opportunity. He is always willing to do what he can to promote the future of our Industry, and this is just another example.”
Mr. John Randles, the Director of the Harness Racing Training Centre Bendigo – who are the naming rights sponsor of the Central Victorian Championships and Concession Drivers Championship – believes that a lot of trainers phones will be running hot in the next few days with Junior Drivers trying to find horses to drive in the Series.
“If the attraction and opportunities offered by this Concession Drivers Series wasn’t exciting enough for drivers commencing their careers in the harness industry, then this additional bonus is just the icing on the cake,” Randles said.
Trainers are asked to check the conditions and classes for these races, and if they have suitable horses for these races it is hoped they will support the development of these up-and-coming drivers by putting them aboard.
