Victoria Cup night this Week

[Gammalite]

Only 2 nights a year are put on National TV broadcast in Australia for Harness racing , and this is one of them this Saturday night at Melton.  ( they have thousands of gallop races 24/7 🙄)

Anyway the Poor old harness horses have the Spotlight for just a 'moment' in time with 6 x GROUP 1 races at Melton.

 

Race 1/ Looser class trot with NZ owned One Over All and recent Butterworth NZ purchase Sacred Mountain in it .

Race 2/ FFA with old Bach in it for Nz and ex-pat Cambridge man Kyle Marshall. Bach won 5 races last Autumn but not going as well now. 

Race 3/ G1 Queen Of The Pacific. the best mares with 3 of Grimsons good mares (Aardies Express drawn 2) against 3 of Emma Stewarts. 

Race 4/ Open Trot Sprint. Just Believe drawn 3. Write him the winners cheque now? NZ owned Queen Elida drawn 2nd row for Brent Lilley.

Race 5/ Victoria Derby Final for $200k  Emma Stewart stable with 7 of the 12 . The 2 Heat winners drew 2 and 3 . All over red Rover.

Race 6/ Victoria Cup G1 (worth very miserly $300k 🙄) Leap To Fame drawn 3 .All over red Rover. Grimson 4 x horses All drawn poorly. 😋

Race 7/ Victoria Oaks G1 . Steven Reid came over with Coastal Babe from NZ . good on him. wins it from the pole draw too. 

              The Queenslander (Aardie B Miki) for Pete McMullen drew 2 at the start so hopefully 2nd. Emma Stewart beaten for a change ? 😋

 

Race 8/ Arrggghhh  is in it . say no more . (worst horse name ever 😂)

Race 9/ Keayang Zahara !!!!!! don't miss this one. She is Addington bound in November. Will be winning the Vic Trotters Oaks here no worries

So ALL the very best of Australia will be racing , with the brilliant trotter KZ rounding out the card on her way to NZ.

and ALSO the lone NZer 'Coastal Babe' a great shot as well of a BIG Win in the Oaks.  this is gunna be Great. bring it on. 💰🏆💰🏆🍻

[Gammalite]

holy moly. some fixed odds are up for Melton . They NEver put up fixed odds for harness before the actual day usually  .

A pitiful effort compared to gallops treatment usually with early markets. seem to get them up all the time over 2 days ahead most of the time.  

so LET"S get some 100-1 at the Group 1 racing Victoria TROTS , while we can then 💰

A multi of  PLACE Prices to get a hundred bucks. Melton Saturday night.

Race 1/  $1.85   One Over All   for Nz owners and the top driver Greg Sugars. tricky draw.

Race 2/ $1.60 CantFindABetterMan  this kiwibred would of been in Vic Cup most years

Race 3/ $2.05 Major Delight  , won 9 of 10 starts at Melton. 2nd to 'Aardie Ex   here maybe?

Race 4/ $1.30 CallMeTheBreeze,  won the rich Great Southern Star here earlier in year over this distance , defeating JUST BELIEVE by a neck . the only defeat to Just Believe in his last 20 odd starts I think. Kate Gath will line him up here to try and nab/pip the champ again again.

Race 5/ $3.50 Some American , Kate Gath might steer this bloke to 2nd in the Victoria Derby here. Has placed 10 of his 11 starts at Melton. goes alright.

Race 6/ $2.60 Catch A Wave , Kate here with the Nullibor winner, beat Leap To Fame (3rd) in this race last year with a big finish , when 2nd to Act Now Vic Cup . He won a Miracle Mile too. 

Race 7/ $1.40 Aardie B Miki.  Aardie's Express little sister sure to go close here in the Victoria Oaks for Queensland man Pete McMullen. hope she wins if 'Coastal' doesn't.

NZer 'Coastal Babe' ONLY showing $1.55 to Win ? very short odds  for the Steven Reid trained North Islander to win the Victoria Oaks . Must be a heap of kiwi's in Oz with plenty of cash going on it ? (the Imperatriz army leftovers 😁)

chance of a couple of hundred 💰  for just a gold $2coin donation. and don't even need a winner  (just a lucky 7 places lol😎)

[Gammalite]

A Great night of Harness action with current and future Stars all On The Money. 

Probably Rate this meeting 9/10  with the 9 great races,

NZ trained filly COASTAL BABE a head-line act powering to victory in the Victoria Oaks for Steven Reid. she has been at Emma Stewarts for a month. Summit Bloodstock and Aaron Bain Bloodstock running the trifecta in that (with some of their hangers on)  and the 2 Emma Stewart fillies

KEAYANG ZAHARA waltzing away with the Victoria Trotters Oaks by 6 lengths. incredible horse. ther's a funny Mick Guerin 😂 story with that one . (he did our presentation assist on national TV) 

NZ Cup winner SWAYZEE demolishing the Victoria Cup field (with brother Leap To Fame out)

JUST BELIEVE , the current double Interdominion TROT Champ had to sit parked and work very hard to win. But he got there in the end.

CANTFINDABETTORMAN the Grand ex-pat Southlander regained winning form.

RAKERO REBEL , another ex-pat wins brilliantly too for Greg Sugars, Mowing down the hot favourite in another great Nz mare export in AARDIES EXPRESS to be the Queen of the Pacific. 

EMMA STWART (with partner trainer Clayton) running the FIRST 4 in the Victoria Derby. A stunning achievement! . 6 of the first 7 home actually.  that's Allstars-like 🏆 

and AArrrgggghh ran on from last in his race,  to get 3rd at 30-1 . what a good thing 😎🤣👍

[Spatchcock]

The Derby was a joke... they went three seconds slower than the norm. Having over half the field is not good for competitive racing or betting.

[Gammalite]

1 hour ago, Spatchcock said:

The Derby was a joke... they went three seconds slower than the norm. Having over half the field is not good for competitive racing or betting.

Yes the race ( Victoria Derby) has been ruined by the re-scheduling of the Addington 3 yearold Flying stakes to October the past 3 years. (was March previously) so no Kiwi's will turn up anymore 🥲.  (like the Derby winners around 10 years like Lazarus, Our Maxim , Ohoka Punter) 

The Flying Stakes Won brilliantly by 'Chase The Dream' the other night . and in great style by his stable-mates 'Don't Stop Dreaming' and 'Akuta' the other 2 October runnings of that race. They would ALL of probably won the Victoria Derby if races didn't co-incide. 🙄 

So with No more kiwi trained horses  turning up ,  the result is the EMMA Stewart Barn having a picnic now past 2 years in the Victoria Derby.  and for many years to come probably.  yeah , you're right they become a bit of a 'procession ' accordingly.  

Funny BOAY story:  the old bloke that owned the 2nd placed horse last night 'Some American' was attempted to be interviewed for National TV . He also has a share in the Derby winner named 'Best Deal' . so he actually has the quinella in the race and is standing there (not even dressed nicely) folded arms , looking grumpy as a junkyard dog and mumbling to the interviewer "I wanted the 2nd horse to win , I bred that one myself" with a stern face .  He's just run the Quinella as owner in the Derby and is not even happy the old fart. The Interviewer was a bit shell-shocked , but tried his best.  just no pleasing some people lol 😆