Left: Anthony Butt holds the 2003 Cranbourne Pacing Cup aloft in triumph after Mister DG won the race in 2003. By Brad Kingsbury
QUEENSLAND trained pacer Sparkling Melody upset a crack field to take the 2004 Cranbourne Pacing Cup interstate and this year’s cup could land even further away if New Zealand’s Butt brothers have their way.
Trainer Tim and driver Anthony Butt will head New Zealand’s annual assault on Victoria’s summer riches in this Saturday’s $50,000 feature with 2004 Hunter Cup champion Mister DG.
In a coup for Cranbourne, the star pacer will begin his Australian campaign by attempting to win his second Group 2 Cranbourne Cup, adding to the eight-year-old gelding’s win in the 2003 race.
Tim said they’d had him set for the Cranbourne Cup for a couple of months.
“He’ll contest that race and then the Popular Alm Free-For-All at Moonee Valley (on 10 December) before heading into the Victoria Cup (17 December),” he said.
“He had his first run back from a lengthy spell at Addington (Christchurch) last Friday night and ran a great fourth in quick time. It was only fitness that cost him.”
The tough-as-nails pacer will be joined on the flight from Auckland by boom four-year-old Dudinka’s Cullen – a winner at five of his seven starts.
A second wave of Butt-trained runners is due to arrive in Melbourne on Sunday week, 4 December, including rising trotting star Genius, Rouseabout and Ado’s Angel.
Victorian stars Sokyola and Robin Hood will be joined in this year’s field by Tromos, prepared at Clyde by leading trainer Jayne Davies, with the aim of keeping the prize in its home state.
“It’s a great field this year, but our little bloke is going really well and he’ll give a good account of himself,” said Jayne, who has been successful in the Cranbourne showcase race on four previous occasions.
“He’s coming off a win in the Maryborough Cup and his form couldn’t be better for this race.
“It’d be nice to draw one or two, you always hope for that, but with a bit of luck he’ll run very well.”
The Cranbourne Cup is the forerunner to the Victoria-Hunter Cup feature races at Moonee Valley early in the new year and Jayne said that if Tromos performed to expectations he would likely continue towards that rich carnival.
“He’s in that class now, so I would hope that he continues in his current form and races against the best horses,” she said.
The Davies stable other runners engaged on the night include Golden Navajo, All Action Son, Benditlikebekam and Runna Lodge, but Jayne rated her runner in the fourth race, Penny Veejay, as probably her best chances of victory.
“He’s just come back from three months in the paddock and I’ve got high expectations for him,” she said.
“He won the four and five-year-old championship in his last preparation and I’m expecting him to really come on this time in.”
