DOUGLAS LOYAL TO MELTON

The Chariots Of Fire has the potential to provide Glenn Douyglas with the biggest win of his career, but Victoria's leading trainer won't be at Menangle on Friday night, July 30, for the $A200,000 Group 1.

The Bendigo horseman has left travelling duties to the man who has overseen interstate trips for his horses for several seasons, assistant trainer and father-in-law Eric Anderson, and will look after the team he has engaged at Melton's Tabcorp Park.

"Eric's been our Sydney traveller for three or four years now," Douglas said. "He does it very well, he knows the routine as well as anybody and the horses are used to it.

"I've got enough horses here to look after and I can't do any more than what we've done here during the week, so we'll just do it how we normally do it."

But the fact Douglas is not heading north shouldn't be seen as an indication of his thoughts of Make Mine Cullen's chances in Australia's premier four-year-old race.

She comfortably accounted for key rival Ima Rocket Star in the Hondo Grattan Sprint on July 16 and is already a Group 1 winner over the Chariots course, having claimed the Ladyship Mile in April.

Douglas's confidence only increased when the versatile mare, a winner of 11 of 16 starts this season, came up with barrier four. That will become gate three if second emergency Captain Joy doesn't get a run.

"I think her record speaks for itself and we're probably going up to that race as confident as we were in the Ladyship Mile," Douglas said.

"We know she can run the time to win it, from back in the field or in front, and she's got the draw to be able to do either. She ran 1:53 (mile rate) this season and I've got no doubt she can do that again this weekend if she has to."

Make Mine Cullen heads TAB Sportsbet's market at $2.70. Harley Earl (barrier three) occupies the second line at $4, ahead of Hondo Grattan runner-up Ima Rocket Star ($4.60, six) and Paleface Adios runner-up Villagem ($6.50, nine).

Speedy beginner Deadsetlucky is at $8 from the plum draw of gate one, while Buckeye Nation (10) is an $11 chance despite winning the Paleface Adios Sprint.

Make Mine Cullen isn't the only horse Anderson is carting up to Menangle with stable warrior Bold Cruiser to contest the Media Cup and Our Madagascar, Miss Laura Jane and Fire It Up engaged in early races.

With Douglas's brother Daryl to drive the Menangle runners, Douglas inherits driving responsibilities at Melton. He has five runners across four races, with Our Hillview Gold appearing his best chance in the BIG6 3YO Pace (9.42pm NZ time). 

NEVADA NOT SCARED BY MAJOR

Tony Peacock always thought tomorrow night’s Yeoman’s Slate & Stone Pacers Handicap shaped as the ideal launching pad for Ohoka Nevada’s campaign.

What he didn’t anticipate was having a Barastoc Grand Circuit winner for competition.

SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup winner Melpark Major is on the surprise back-up in the 2760-metre stand, having resumed from a seven-month spell with a slashing second to Smoken Up in last week’s Our Maestro Free-For-All.

“I actually was a little bit surprised to see him in there off the backmark,” the Kilmore trainer said. “But he’s a very, very nice horse and you’ve always got to respect him.

“But Ohoka wasn’t far short of the best last time in and I’m just hoping he’s taken that next step. To me, he feels like he might have.”

The five-year-old son of Sands A Flyin’s advantage this week is a 20m head start on the reigning Victorian Horse of the Year. The Alan Tubbs-trained Melpark Major is off 40m with Ohoka Nevada off 20m.

Comeback pacer Larado (10m) is the only other runner off a handicap with emerging Kiwi import Lets Slash An Burn, Ohoka Nevada’s stablemate Benny Mac and Megasam among those off the front in the 9.45pm event.

Despite being first-up since a free-for-all win at Tabcorp Park on March 5, the Kiwi gelding who didn’t join Peacock until about 12 months ago is forward enough to take his record to 13 wins from 42 starts following two trials.

“He didn’t do a lot at the trials, but we’ve stepped him right up since and we couldn’t be happier with him,” Peacock said.

“I think he’s come back bigger and stronger. When we got him (from New Zealand) they told us he was looking for a spell, but he still went to open company without having a spell.

“He would have had eight weeks out and that would have been the first spell he’s had and he’s given us the feel that he might take that next step.”

Even if Ohoka Nevada fails to resume with a win, Peacock is a chance of coming away with the prize. Benny Mac, a winner of three of his past four starts, is a handy second-stringer.

In fact, HRV price assessor Bill Hutchison considers him a better chance. Hutchison has Benny Mac at $7 and Ohoka Nevada $8 in the market headed by Melpark Major ($2.60) and Lets Slash An Burn ($3).

FILLIES TRUE TO FORM

The three-year-old fillies’ section appeared the most open of the Tabcorp Australasian Breeders Crown heats run in Victoria this week, but they proved quite reliable.

Stunin Girl ran down the track as a $1.40 favourite in the first heat, but the remaining three qualifiers at Bendigo’s Lord’s Raceway were all won by popular elects.

Miss Trickin Lombo and Revivalist both scored at $1.40, while Glenferrie Inn won as $2.50 favourite in the night’s most competitive heat.

Victoria and Australian Oaks placegetter Miss Trickin Lombo inherited the mantle as the host state’s leading contender following Tuesday’s scratching of Rocknrolla and responded with the fastest win of the night.

The Jayne Davies-trained star’s 2:00.5 mile rate was six-tenths of a second quicker than both Glenferrie Inn and Loving Life Lombo.

Glenferrie Inn pulled out the night’s fastest last quarter (28.1secs) for a gritty win over Art Shadow, Led Suitcase and Forest Babe, while Loving Life Lombo cashed in on Stunin Girl’s below-par performance to take out the first heat.

Revivalist rated 2:01.2 in her all-the-way win over blueblood Kattrin in the other heat.

Last night’s winners followed on from some favourable results in the two-year-old colts and geldings heats at Kilmore on Tuesday night, when Royal Verdict, Devilish Smile, Dee Devito and Brick Top all won as long-odds-on favourites.

Favourite backers will be hoping the good times roll on tonight, when the final heats of what has been a bumper Breeders Crown week in Victoria are run at Ballarat.

The three-year-old boys will be in action with four competitive heats making up the legs of the Quaddie from 8.30pm.

Star attraction of that opening qualifier is Vicbred Super Series champion David Hercules, who is aiming to qualify via the Victorian heats despite being trained by Western Australian, David Thompson.

Palais Du Louvre, Eaton Bromac and Shady Su appear the top hopes in heat two (10.30pm, NZ time), while Mapua Legend and Lively Operative shape as the biggest dangers to Victoria Derby finalist Remember El in the third qualifier (11pm).

The final heat, at 11.30pm (NZ time), looks the most open with Machieve, Composed, Bachelor Lombo, Lord Lombo and Antsinyapants all having top claims.

 Courtesy of Brad Bishop, HRV Media Manager