By Terry Gange – Harnesslink
VICTORIAN harness racing trainer-driver Mattie Craven spent 18 hours on the road this week on a mission to win the Mildura Pacing Cup – but it was his superb drive on the track that saw him capture the time-honoured feature on Friday.
Craven, based at Ecklin South near Terang, penciled in the Mildura Cup for his five-year-old gelding Young Bluey months ago, after changes to Country Cup conditions meant his improving pacer was ineligible for features closer to home.
With all of the main chances handicapped on the back row in the $30,000 final, the scene was set for a tactical race and it didn’t disappoint – with Craven playing the game best from barrier 10.
“On paper it looked very tricky, but we were fortunate to work through early and into a nice spot,” Craven said.
“When the pace came out of the race we were able to make a move.”
Craven set Young Bluey alight at the first opportunity zooming around the field to reach the front and from there was able to dictate his terms, peeling off quarters of 28.9, 29.8, 29.3 and 29.8 to record a mile rate of 1:58.9.
Young Bluey finished 1.9 metres ahead of Catalpa Rescue (Abby Sanderson) and Young Bluey’s stablemate Crime Writer (Lochie Cook) in third.
It was Young Bluey’s second cup victory in just over a fortnight, capturing the Mount Gambier feature on March 15, then heading to Mildura to contest the Cup heats on Tuesday night.
“I asked a bit of him, but he just seems to be able to get around the small tracks so well,” Craven said.
“I’m just very proud of the horse to do that in the run and still be there at the finish. He did a terrific job.
“He hasn’t got the best constitution, but I was probably lucky that Tuesday night’s race was a slow run affair and that meant he had enough in the tank for tonight. If we had come Tuesday night and had a tough run, we might as well have stayed home I think.”
The Cup this year was named in memory of the Club’s long-serving President and volunteer of more than 40 years, the late Barry Bottams, with race trophies presented by his wife Lorraine. The significance of the moment was not lost on Craven.
“Everyone knows where volunteers are concerned, they don’t do it on their own – they have to have the support of their family and those around them,” he said. “It’s a great honour for Lorraine and for Barry and a great thing for the club to do.”
Craven, who has nearly 700 wins as a trainer and more than 1000 as a driver, including a dozen Group 1s, said the Mildura feature was a special one to win.
“I can remember being a little tiny kid running around and watching the TV and seeing (Terang trainers) Bruce and Neville Clarke up here (they won the Cup in 1993 with The Phoenix), and it’s always been something everyone wanted to win,” he said.
“A big credit to the team at home and especially to my fiancée Amy, mum and dad and Hannah and the ownership group of Bluey. It’s been great to see the horse develop to win races like this and be a great asset to our team.”
And despite the road trip ahead, Craven wasn’t likely to make a quick getaway from the Mildura track – with young Terang concession reinsman Lochie Cook, a regular at the Mildura meetings, engaged in the last race.
