THE countdown to Victoria’s next Inter Dominion is starting to hot up.
Two of the home state’s most exciting horses – young trotter Ollivici and brilliant pacer Honolua Bay – stamped themselves as major Inter Dominion contenders with dominant wins at Melton on Saturday night.
And both are on winning streaks.
Honolua Bay made it eight wins from as many starts for the powerhouse Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin stable when he thrashed a strong field in the Minuteman Free-For-All.
The win formally the five-year-old a “golden ticket” into the Inter Dominion series, starting on November 26.
But before then, Honolua Bay will chase another of Australia’s top races, the Group 1 Victoria Cup at Melton on October 8.
“It was impressive and I still think there is more improvement in him yet,” driver Mark Pitt told TrotsVision after the win.
“I’m super excited. I never thought I’d see this day. Since I’ve been a kid I’ve always wanted to have this opportunity (to drive in an Inter Dominion).”
Honolua Bay raced and bred by Bill and Anne Anderson, who also have champion mare Ladies In Red.
“He’s making up for lost time,” Bill Anderson said. “We were aiming at the Miracle Mile earlier this year, but he had a hoof abscess and, rather than push on, we decided to give a good break with a view to these races at the end of the year.”
Anderson reaffirmed Ladies In Red would not be among Honolua Bay’s rivals in the Victoria Cup or Inter Dominion.
“She’ll race Victoria Cup night, but it will be in the first leg of the Mares’s Triple Crown (the Make Mine Cullen), She will stick to racing the mares for the rest of this year.”
Ollivici stamped himself as one of the most exciting trotters in the and went four-from-four this campaign with a runaway win in the Group 2 Tornado Valley final.
“He’s only four and had 15 starts. He’s never really been fully wound up. We got him a bit more for this race, but I still think there is more in the tank,” trainer-driver Chris Lang said.
Lang, who has trained trotting greats Sundons Gift, Skyvalley and National Interest, declared Ollivici has the potential to be up with any of his former stars.
He even touted a possible trip to Sweden for one the world’s greatest trotting races, the Elitlopp, which he chased with Sundons Gift.
“The Inter Dominion is our number one goal the way things are panning out at present,” Lang said. “I still have plans of going back to Sweden one day, so we need to win that Inter Dominion. It’s a big ask as a four-year-old, but that’s our main game,” he said.
Reigning Inter Dominion trotting champion Maori Law showed he was right on target for a title defence with victory in the free-for-all at Melton.
The Inter Dominion build-up will gain further momentum when arguably NZ’s best pacer, Copy That, steps out at Melton next Saturday night.
His first main target is the Victoria Cup then connections will decide whether he returns to NZ for the NZ Cup on November 8 or stays in Victoria to target the Inter Dominion.
“Even if he does go (back) to the NZ Cup, the plan is to bring him back to Victoria after it for the Inter Dominion,” owner Merv Butterworth said.
* Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.
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