Danny Bouchea, pictured overpowering Lord Of The Gym and I Didnt Do It in the Derby, will start from barrier four in Sunday's Breeders Crown Final
Danny Bouchea’s prospects of joining the select band of horses to have won back-to-back Australasian Breeders Crown titles soared at Monday night’s three-year-old trotters barrier draw.
The Nick Youngson-trained gun, winner of last year’s two-year-old trotters final, will roll from barrier four in the $102,000 Group 1 final at Bendigo’s Lord’s Raceway.
It has the free-running son of Sundon well-placed to join fellow squaregaiters Kyvalley Road and Super Command and fillies Sassy Sarah and Lady Waratah as the only dual Breeders Crown champions.
Coincidentally, barrier four is where Danny Bouchea started from when he outgunned arch rival Lord Of The Gym in last year’s final at Ballarat.
Danny Bouchea, who two starts back arrogantly accounted for many of Sunday’s rivals in the Victoria Trotters Derby, wasn’t the only leading fancy to draw well for 2150-metre feature.
Lord Of The Gym will start alongside the favourite in gate five, while Si Capisco (two), Kiwi raider The Ultimate Galleon (six) and filly Mystic Hush (seven) form part of a talent-packed front line.
The chances of regally-bred Skyvalley (nine), Derby placegetter I Didnt Do It (10) and filly Aldebaran Maori (10) took a hit when they all drew the back row.
The three-year-old trotters final draw, conducted at a civic reception to welcome the Breeders Crown back to Bendigo, completed the allocation of barriers for Sunday’s six Group 1 events on Australia’s richest country raceday.
Earlier in the night the marbles were drawn for the $158,000 Breeders Crown 2YO Trotters Final, which presented a more challenging assignment for the favourite.
The Chris Alford-trained Down Under Muscles, the nominal popular elect in the wake of Muscle And Power’s scratching earlier in the day, was assigned gate 11, outside the back row, as he is out of the draw in mobile starts.
Heat winner Sassy Pinevale (one) and impressive repechage winners Magic Interest (three) and Happy Maori (four) were major beneficiaries, Hanginwiththestars will roll from barrier six, while Mals Image (nine) will be back with Down Under Muscles.
Group 1 $158,000 2YO Trotters Final: (front) Sassy Pinevale, Kirsly Kept, Magic Interest, Happy Maori, Dottie Hinson, Hanginwiththestars, Maori Vale; (back) Chloe Pariel (emerg), Mals Image, The Statistician, Down Under Muscles.
Group 1 $102,000 3YO Trotters Final: (front) Gentlemans Honour, Si Capisco, Wont Be The Same, Danny Bouchea, Lord Of The Gym, The Ultimate Galleon, Mystic Hush; (back) Question This (emerg), Skyvalley, I Didnt Do It, Aldebaran Maori, Tender Don.
