Thursday, March 28, 2019
Sunday’s outstanding Fairthorne Forestry Mount Gambier Cup final will be complemented by four top supporting features, kicking off with the Formula 400 and followed by the Produce Store Maiden, Cup Consolation and The Tankman 600.
Melton trainer Simon Payne looks to hold a strong hand in the 400 metre Formula 400 with litter brothers Diesel’s A Rebel and Shultz’s A Rebel, the former appearing to be well boxed in the eight after running Ramified to a half head in a quick 23.16 seconds in a heat last week.
The long-running Produce Store Maiden (512 m) has once again attracted an interesting line-up for the final, main interest focusing on Robert Chuck’s Galactic Titan and Kevin Mugavin’s Spring Value.
Galactic Titan, a litter brother to cup finalist Galactic Athena, should be better for last week’s first-up 30.42 seconds heat win when he raced very greenly from box one – an outside draw on Sunday perhaps likely to suit.
Spring Value impressed when winning the other heat by six lengths in 30.06 seconds, his two-time Mount Gambier Cup-winning trainer saying the son of Spring Gun x Magic Matese did show some promise.
“The rest of the litter can’t run 500 metres,” he said. “And while Spring Value has been slow to mature I reckon given another six months he could be up to city class.”
The Mount Gambier Cup Consolation (512 m) is always a good race, Hutch – a Mount Gambier Cup finalist in 2017 – winning the race last year in 29.56 seconds, a time considerably quicker than that of the Mount Gambier Cup.
And the Robert Halliday trained winner of 24 races should be some chance again this year after working home well for a two length third in a cup heat last week behind Aston It Is at what was his first race in two months.
Cap Abbott will hold a strong hand in the 600 metre Open feature, The Tankman 600, with litter brothers Black Spring and Spinning Jakit – both coming off 512 metre runs at Tara Raceway last Sunday.
Black Spring, in particular, is well served over the middle-distance having won three races and run two minor placings from five starts over the 600 metre journey with a best time of a quick 35.06 seconds.
There was no cup runner this year for Tom Cryer but Cryer’s Harper will contest the Formula 400 final and Cryer’s Bob, with a personal best of 35.15 seconds, looks one of the main dangers to Black Spring.