PACERS from the stable of Red Cliffs harness trainer Naomi Kerr fill more than a quarter of the available slots for Tuesday night’s qualifying heats for the Mildura Pacing Cup.
The biggest event on the calendar of the Mildura Harness Racing Club, the $30,000 event will see 20 pacers compete in two heats on Tuesday, with the top five from each qualifying for Friday’s final.
While there is an absence of some larger scale stables due to clashing events, more local horses are now in the frame for what is suggested as being the most even field in a long time.
Kerr, who has been on an impressive run over the past two seasons, has seven entries into the heats.
I Bet You has been in the best form of the group with two wins in its past five starts, including one at $45 odds in Mildura a couple of weeks ago, while Go Away Again, Three Summas and Imperials Reason will also compete in the opening heat.
The trio of Modern Ginger, Priorotise and Jaxon Beach are all locked in for the second heat.
“I’ve got a couple that are going all right, there’s always the ifs and buts coming into these events,” Kerr said.
“Hopefully a couple can get through to the final, that would be a really nice result.
“It would be fantastic to win a Mildura Cup. Last year I’m Blinging It won the Pace event just below the cup (a $20,000 prize pool) and that was a massive result for me.
“It’s been heaps of work, but we’ve got some really nice animals and that certainly helps. We had put a couple out specifically for this time of year.”
Kerr isn’t the only local trainer aiming for Friday’s final, with Scott Garraway, Boris Devcic and Andrew German’s entries ensuring more than half the entries come from Sunraysia stables.
Garraway will team Alex Ashwood with Rio Rock in the opening heat, while Devcic’s Noble Trick, which has two wins in its last four starts and German’s All Da Rage, are in the latter pace.
Shane Sanderson, who has trained the past two Cup winners, will return in the hope of making it three in a row with son Ryan in the seat of early favourite Catalpa Rescue.
It’s the first Mildura Cup for the family stable since their move from Charlton to Murchison.
Kerr said she hopes for a successful carnival for the club itself.
“It’s little set back for the final to be held on Friday rather than the normal Saturday, but I hope it’s still going to be a successful week,” she said.
“The Sandersons are coming back up again and they seems to dominate here so it won’t be easy, but it would be nice for a local trainer to be able to win it.”
Special feature lift out for the Mildura Pacing Cup in Friday’s Sunraysia Daily.
