05 January 2018 | Shane Yates
All roads lead to Scottsdale today for the North East’s racing and social day of the year.
Fresh from its dynamic dead-heat with Solid As A Rock in the Southern Cross Television St. Marys Cup on Monday, Full Speed Ahead travels over the sidling for the Bridport Hotel North Eastern Pacing Cup, the feature of an exciting eight-event twilight card of harness racing.
Four last-start winners are engaged in the Cup, Full Speed Ahead, Laughyaheadoff, Paint The Wind and Dodgermemate while Mavis Merle (10m), Chief Destroyer (20m) and Black Centurian (30m) all have testing handicaps to contend with.
The Cup is always a high-pressure race for drivers with the backmarkers fully aware they need to position themselves forward to be a winning chance and equally the frontmarkers know they need to keep the tempo up to make that task a near-impossible one.
The North Eastern Pacing Club would be thrilled with the quality of the field lining up in the 2018 Cup.
Full Speed Ahead (pictured – inside) will run favourite over the 2692-metre staying trip, the former Queensland pacer has won four of 10 Tasmanian starts for Todd Rattray since arriving in the state in August.
Timely Sovereign, winner of the Maxfield Drilling Raider Stakes last season has drawn the pole for Kent Rattray and John Walters and although the five-year-old’s form of late has been a little disappointing on face-value he is more than capable of showing sharp improvement on his home track.
Barrie Rattray will take the reins on the Steven Davis trained 30-metre backmarker Black Centurian.
The eight-year-old Jr Mint – Mon Poppy Mary gelding has earned the right to carry the mantle of backmarker in the time-honoured feature having been runner-up for the past two years.
Black Centurian was beaten a metre by Fortino last year after running Major Callum to a head in 2016.
The former St. Marys and Ulverstone Cup winner has run second in a Devonport Cup and won a Heat of the 2017 Easter Cup before running a gallant fourth to Pachacuti in the Final, beaten just 4.4 metres.
Duncan Dornauf will host a live Cup Day coverage featuring interviews with owners and trainers of the Cup hopefuls, commencing with a track-side preview of the meeting half an hour before race one at 16.00, via the live steam service at tasracing.com.au
Watch the favourite for today’s Bridport Hotel North Eastern Pacing Cup Full Speed Ahead dead-heat with Solid As A Rock in the St. Marys Cup on New Year’s Day: Race 5 St Marys New Year’s Day
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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