Sport
25 February, 2021
Terang Cup winner bound for Menangle
WOLF Stride is set to be aimed for the world’s most prestigious harness race after a strong victory in Saturday night’s $50,000 Terang Co-op Pacing Cup.
WOLF Stride is set to be aimed for the world’s most prestigious harness race after a strong victory in Saturday night’s $50,000 Terang Co-op Pacing Cup.
The Anthony Butt and Sonya Smith trained five year-old gelding went to the lead shortly after the race started and dictated terms for the remainder of the event as it coasted to a 6.5 metre victory.
Malcolms Rhythm was next across the line for Avenel’s Daivd Aiken, while local driver Jason Lee guided the Emma Stewart-trained Somewhere Secret into third.
Victorious driver Zac Phillips was thrilled with the result, which followed last month’s victory in the Bendigo Cup.
“It worked out perfect for us early,” he said.
“Once he found the front it was going to be pretty hard to see how we could beat from there.”
Phillips praised Butt and Smith for having the horse in tip-top condition for its upcoming events which started this weekend.
He said the son of Rock N Roll Heaven was now bound for Sydney to attempt to qualify for the $1million Miracle Mile at Menangle onMarch 6.
Wolf Stride will contest this Saturday’s Allied Express Sprint at the same venue, with the top two earning a start in the prestigious race.
“He’ll go up there Monday now, Anthony is already up there and Sonya will head up with him obviously for the Miracle Mile qualifiers,” Phillips said.
“Fingers crossed he can get into that because Anthony and Sonya have done quite a remarkable job with him, it’s just really a credit to them.
“I’ve really got pay credit to the staff at home, Anthony’s been away and Sonya and all the team have done a remarkable job, not just with this horse but the whole lot of them.”
Meanwhile, Well Defined made it successive country cups, with the trotter taking out the South West Conveyancing Terang Trotters Cup a week after winning the Niota Bloodstock Ararat Trotters Cup.
The Kate Hargreaves trained gelding recorded a 2.4 metre victory in the $25,000 event, finishing clear of Robbie Royale and Geoff Webster’s Scruffy Doolan.
Victorious driver Ellen Tormey was delighted with the performance post-race.
“It all worked out perfectly,”she said.
“He went away today and after we went away and found the front it was always about the first suitable one we could hand up too.
“Robbie Royale was that, he’s a really good frontrunner and he’s been in great form, so he was a good one to follow.”
Tormey was pleased the six year-old trotted away after recent troubles with the stand start.
“Usually he goes away like that but last week we were on the wrong foot when the tape went and went away in a gallop,” she said.
“Nine times out of 10 he does fly away but you do get the odd one where he gallops.
“He’s a little beauty to drive though. He’s a little bit difficult in the warm-up, but once those tapes go he just rockets away and then puts himself in such a good position every time.
“These stands and the 2600, they suit him down to the ground – he runs them out really well. Whatever he does the owner and trainers are really rapt with the jobs he’s done.”