ASTUTE Horsham harness racing trainer Aaron Dunn’s impressive CV, which includes multiple Group 1 victories, is, by his own admission, frustratingly short of country cups.
But the Wimmera trainer is confident he has the four-year-old Dee Roe at the peak of his powers for Friday night’s $30,000 Barry Bottams Mildura Pacing Cup final, after a blistering victory in Tuesday night’s round of heats.
The two heats were like opposite sides of a coin – a case of a formality and a boil over, with Dunn turning in a superb drive to ensure the favorite in the first qualifier Dee Roe enjoyed a soft win.
“I got away with murder!” Dunn joked, after he was able to work to the lead and cruise through a 64.5-second first half.
Dee Roe has been in a super patch of form over the past six months, winning six from his past 10 starts, including a scintillating victory at Swan Hill in super quick time (1:52.9).
Dunn then secured his sole Country Cup victory, at the Hamilton Pacing Cup in January.
“The horse is fast if I can sit up on him,” he said.
“He had a nice easy run, and apart from getting a little bit off his beat, having a good look at the sectional board inside the track, he went super and should be spot on for Friday night.”
The boil over came in the second of Tuesday’s heats, when Charlton-trained mare Joe Got Rolled despatched her more fancied rivals, courtesy of an accomplished drive by young Charlton reinsman Luke Dunne.
From his handy barrier one draw (he enjoys the same draw in Friday’s final), Dunne handed up in the middle stages and was able to find room to zoom home along the fence in the final stages.
“She was a very good two-year-old,” trainer Joey Thompson said. “She won three races, but I think she might have had a stress fracture, which we were never able to get diagnosed.
“In the end I gave her six months off last year, and it seems to have done the trick. She’s come back terrific. Her run last week at Swan Hill, when she roared home and got within two metres of Dee Roe was sensational.”
But the two heat winners are far from the only factors in an even and intriguing final to the Listed Classic event.
Riverina-trained pacer Catchafire is attempting to become one of the few three-year-olds ever to win the cup, and is favorably drawn in barrier three (starting from the two alley if the emergency does not gain a start).
Catchafire led and handed up to Dee Roe in the first heat, but was hampered in the home straight, finishing close up on the back of the winner, with the Mattie Craven-trained Young Bluey a breath away third after a tough run.
Charlton Cup winner Catalpa Rescue was sent out an unbackable $1.10 hot favorite in the second heat, and endured some ordinary luck from his back-row barrier draw to finish fifth.
He will improve and is well in the mix with some better luck in transit in the final as is another Mattie Craven-trained runner Crime Writer.
