Champion trotter Robin Hood will be a major drawcard in this year’s Cranbourne Pacing Cup.By Brad Bishop
ROBIN Hood will be chasing history when he takes his place in the $60,000 Group 2 Decron Cranbourne Pacing Cup at Cranbourne on Saturday night, 1 December.
The Peter Tonkin-trained star is looking to join former champion Golden Reign as the only winner of the Cranbourne Cup in non-consecutive years.
Just two horses have won the Cranbourne Cup more than once. Bar Adios completed the double in 1969/70, but Golden Reign remains the only horse to have done it in non-consecutive years.
First victorious off the front row in 1994, Golden Reign returned to win a second Cranbourne Cup off an amazing 50-metre handicap three years later.
Robin Hood will be aiming to repeat his 2005 Cranbourne Cup win when he takes his place in this year’s 2585-metre event, which is now run under mobile start conditions.
While the seven-year-old son of Fake Left mixed his form in the 18 months after his Cranbourne Cup success, he has proven in two runs back from an extended layoff that he is back to something like his best.
First up from an eight-month spell at Ballarat on 9 November he was too good for a classy free-for-all field, outstaying the talented Smooth Crusa after sitting outside him in the lead throughout.
Then last Saturday night at Moonee Valley he was a somewhat unlucky fourth placegetter, beaten just four metres, in the star-studded MHRC Classic won by Sting Lika Bee.
While next weekend’s race is unlikely to be any easier, Robin Hood will have derived great benefit from the hitout.
The lion’s share of the $60,000 prizemoney is not all that Robin Hood will be chasing at Cranbourne.
The Cup was recently upgraded to carry an Inter Dominion semi-final ballot-free exemption, meaning the winner will get to bypass the qualifying heats round at Geelong on Saturday, February 16 and progress straight to the semis at Moonee Valley on Saturday, February 23.
The Cranbourne Cup also carries a ballot-free exemption from the $350,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup, to be run at Moonee Valley a fortnight later.
