By Adam Hamilton
A couple of weeks ago Speeding Spur wasn’t going to defend his Great Southern Star title, but now he’s an odds-on favourite.
A slashing first-up run at Alexandra Park combined with an ideal draw saw the Aussie TAB install Speeding Spur a $1.80 favourite for Saturday night’s $300,000 Group 1 feature at Melton.
There no doubt he has the class, but does have he the fitness in a very different Great Southern Star to the one he so magnificently won last year?
Gone are the heats and final, but also gone is the one-mile trip. The Great Souithern Star is now a one-off 2760m staying test.
Barrier five certainly helps Speeding Spur’s prospects, but whether he should be as short as $1.80 is big question.
He does have a couple of noted speedsters drawn inside him in Maori Time (three) and WA raider Cardigan Boko (four). Maori Time may take a sit on Speeding Spur, it is very doubtful Cardigan Boko would.
The draw wasn’t as kind to last week’s Group 1 Dullard Cup winner Sunny Ruby, who will start from outside the back row (gate 13) with David Butcher aboard.
The other runners with Kiwi flavour are Tim Butt’s Daryl Boko (gate nine) and Quite A Moment (gate 11), who is in the care of Lance Juistice.
Star Aussie On Thunder Road, who wasn’t suited by gate one last week, is much better placed from two this week and looks as a major player.
The X-factor is Cardigan Boko, who ran better than his sixth indicates last week, and has the gate speed to lead or take a forward spot from barrier four.
VINCENT’S hold on Victoria Derby favouritism eased after he drew the worst possible barrier for Saturday night’s $200,000 final.
“The one barrier I didn’t want was eight,” trainer-driver Mark Purdon said.
That’s exactly where Vincent drew, meaning it is likely Purdon will have to drag him right back at the start to avoid being bailed-up on the marker pegs.
Vincent may still be too good judging by his breathtaking heat win, but he eased from $1.30 to $1.50 on the Aussie TAB and is likely to start even longer.
The news wasn’t much better for the other two Kiwi finalists. Vincent’s stablemate, Motu Meteor, drew outside the back row (gate 12), while Barry Purdon’s Be Jacks Legend is off the back row (gate 10).
The winners from the draw were last season’s Breeders Crown 2YO winner A Little General, who might be the leader from gate two, and last week’s luckless third-placegetter Wrappers Delight (gate one).
Mark Purdon had better luck in the draws with Lazarus (gate two, $1.04) in the Group 1 4YO Bonanza and A Piccadilly Princess (gate four, $1.45) in the Group 1 Ladyship Cup.
His Miracle Mile winner Have Faith In Me will start from outside the front row (gate seven) in the free-for-all (race seven) where he looks a league above his six rivals.
Purdon also has his comeback trotter Prince Fearless in the final event on Hunter Cup after making the long trip to Boort to win the Central Victorian Trotting Championship last week.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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