By David Nagel
Cranbourne Harness Racing Club (CHRC) is set to glitter in the spotlight on Saturday 17 December when the club’s feature race returns to prestigious Group-1 status for the first time in six years.
The DECRON Cranbourne Pacing Cup (2555m) has received a significant prizemoney boost, with $100,000 on offer for the first time since Gavin Lang piloted Yankee Rockstar to victory in 2016.
The DECRON Cranbourne Pacing Cup is one of two Group-1 features on the night, with the $50,000 Bruce Skeggs Memorial Cranbourne Totters Cup also set to attract a strong field of contenders.
CHRC President David Scott is excited that Group-1 racing is returning to Cranbourne.
“It’s very exciting to have that elevation in status, but the Cranbourne Cup has always held a special place on the calendar and has attracted some great horse over the years,” Scott said.
“Horses like Paleface Adios (1980), Koala King (1981), they were the mecca of the harness racing fraternity back in their day, and in more modern times the cup has continued to attract super horses.
“Im Themightyquinn (2010) and Mr Feelgood (2011), they’re two grand-circuit horses that have both won Inter-Dominion’s and share a place on the Cranbourne Cup honour roll.
“In recent memory (2014), Terror To Love beat Christen Me in an outstanding race from two megastars of the sport.
“And the trotters cup will be a cracker too and promises to potentially be the race of the night.
“Aldebaran Zeus and Locksley Lover are two super-promising four-year-olds that didn’t go to the Inter-Dominion and are looking at a four-year-old sires’ campaigns at the end of December.”
Scott said the timing of this year’s race, a week after the Inter-Dominion final, made impossible to predict the class of horse on show.
“This year we’re a week after the Inter-Dominion grand final so we won’t know until closer to the race on how we fare on that front,” Scott explained.
“Whether horses come through the Inter-Dominion and head to Cranbourne, or others that have avoided the Inter-Dominion use our race as a lead into races like the Victoria Sires Stakes for four-year-olds…we’ll wait and see.”
Scott predicted the roof could be raised at the CHRC if Bulletproof Boy could salute in the pacing cup for local trainer Scott Ewen.
“That would be a sensational result,” Scott said.
“Scotty and his partner Kylie are just terrific people and there would be nothing more pleasing than to see them successful in our local cup.
“It would be an enormously popular win.”
