This Saturday night’s Group 3 2013 Schweppes Summer Cup final at Wentworth Park promises to be an absolute gem. Eight of the country’s top stayers, representing four different states, will line up for a crack at the $25,000 first prize at 9:12pm.
A star studded field will contest the time honoured event that has been won by some super stars in years gone by. This year’s edition includes multiple group winner Bell Haven, National Distance champion Smart Valentino and Sydney Cup winner Lucy Wires. There are at least a handful of genuine chances in this race and there will be plenty to keep an eye on from box rise, right through to the final stride. This should be a cracker.
Comments: Angela Langton (Trainer) – “I’m very happy with box one. I think she’s a little bit of a chance if she can lead and get a bit of a break on them and the others jam up behind her. I think she likes the noisy lure at Wentworth Park, unfortunately we don’t have any of those in Victoria, she begins better and has a lot more confidence there.”
Comments: Mark Swift (Trainer) – “The draw is good, he is a lot closer to the rails which is where he does his best work. Hopefully he’s a little bit closer early on this week, if we can get a sit on Infinite Wish, that would be ideal. There’s plenty of good dogs to beat though and this is a very tough race. I’d say Lucy Wires is the one to beat, she’s one of the best stayers going around.”
Comments: Edward Medhurst (Trainer) – “I’d prefer to be drawn out wide without a doubt, but we got what we were given. If she can position herself in the top three or four it would be great for her. She pulled up beautiful and the run would have done her good actually, because she hadn’t had a seven hundred since the heats of the Bold Trease and she blew a bit after last week’s run.”
Comments: Robert Britton (Trainer) – “She’s not well boxed, so we will need a fair bit of luck early in the race. I’d just like to think that she is in touch when they head up the back the second time. She got away really well last week but from box four it’s going to be a different game, there’s a fair bit of pace around her. As far as the dog goes, she’s well and I’m confident she will run a very good race but that first turn does worry me.”
Comments: Adele Powell (Trainer) – “I’ll need a lot of luck, even if Bell Haven and Lucy Wires get into trouble, we’d have to catch the one (Infinite Wish) or the eight (Dyna Willow). The interstate dogs have just got it all over the Sydney dogs, they’re just panels ahead. I’m in there hoping for a lot of luck, but I know he’ll go out there and he’ll try. He gives it his all and I can’t ask for anymore than that. He’s a really big dog with a big heart.”
Comments: Robert Mumford (Trainer) – “We’d prefer to be in box one but what do you do. Dyna Willow is drawn outside us this week so we are sort of hoping we can keep it out there. We got impeded a bit by the three in our race last week and she didn’t really have a chance after that. Most of the time she begins pretty well, we are just hoping she can this week.”
Comments: Jeffrey Cumming (Owner) – “I’m very happy with the box and he likes to use a bit of the track, so that’s where he wants to be. He’s only had the five seven hundred metre starts, so I’m keeping the fingers crossed that there is a bit of improvement. He would certainly have to have some luck on his side to match the Victorians. Last week was his first seven hundred for over a month so I was happy with it, and I think he should have some improvement in him. He had a bit of a virus after his last start in Melbourne so I had to back off him for a month. He’d had a couple of six hundred trials and that’s it going into last week, so hopefully he’ll have a little bit more in the tank this week.”
Comments: Tammy Collins (Kennel Representative) – “We’d much prefer to have the fence but I suppose box eight is better than being in the middle. I don’t think we will be able to get across Infinite Wish, so hopefully we can get a sit on her. She (Dyna Willow) cut to the fence a bit from six last week but if she does that again she might find it a little bit harder. I think she can go quicker than that, watching the replay she got a little bit lost through the catching pen and lost a couple of lengths there so it’ll be interesting on Saturday night if she finds the front to see what she can do.”
Comments: Started long odds on last week and has flown here in the past. Would be far from the roughest hope if she somehow landed a gig in this race.
Best Wentworth Park Times
Best
Last
Sect. Best
Sect. Last
41.92
42.74
16.08
16.74
The box draw has done no favours for Lucy Wires and Bell Haven, who will both be looking to land midfield and power home. Dyna Willow holds all the keys, if she finds herself on the bunny early, it may be a case of “eyes on the clock”. Smart Valentino is drawn to get his chance if he can begin on terms. The knockout chance may be Infinite Wish who loves the track and should be in front for a long way from the favourable draw. This is certainly has all the ingredients to be a great race.
Box draw probably didn’t help many in this.
Box draw probably didn’t help many in this.