Incredibly, the two equal nominal favourites for the Group 2 Geelong Gold Cup (520m) – Compliance and Mepunga Mustang – will match motors in a heat on Friday night.
Compliance, trained by Karen Pitt, and Mepunga Mustang, prepared by Jeff Britton, are both at $5.50 in TAB’s ‘All In’ market. Stalking them are Big Opal Rocks (Mario Briganti) and Substantial (Anthony Azzopardi), both at $6.50, in pre-post betting.
And TAB’s price assessors also can’t separate Compliance and Mepunga Mustang in their heat – both are quoted at $2.30.
Ironically, Big Opal Rocks and Substantial are pitted against each other in a heat with both at identical odds of $2.70.
The six heats of the Geelong Gold Cup – on a historic Good Friday for Victorian greyhound racing – also comprise sprinters the ilk of Titan Blazer, Yozo Bale, Jax Bale, Weblec Jet, Fernando Mick, Decimate, Kysaiah, Aston Tango and Storm Stroller.
Below is a heats’ synopsis:
Heat 1 (Race 4 – 6.22pm) TAB Fixed Odds
Decimate (Box 1) is ideally drawn, being four of five from the ‘red’. The Listed Western Districts Derby finalist is 12 from 26.
His main opposition should come from Kysaiah (Box 7), which is 12 from 23, G1 Australian Cup finalist Orlando (Box 3) and G3 Country Championship finalist Gold Skulltulla (Box 6).
Heat 2 (Race 5 – 6.37pm) TAB Fixed Odds
Dual G1 finalist Titan Blazer (Box 8) should ‘blaze his own trail’ here. He’s 15 from 33 and four of eight from the ‘pink.
If there is to be a danger, that could be Carry On Angel (Box 2), which is a G1 Harrison-Dawson finalist and finished fifth in last year’s Geelong Gold Cup.
Click HERE for TAB’s ‘All In’ Geelong Gold Cup market
Heat 3 (Race 6 – 6.58pm) TAB Fixed Odds
Aston Tango (Box 2) has been leading her rivals a merry dance. She’s 15 from 37, including six of her past 11.
But she’ll need to be at the peak of her powers against reigning Geelong Cup hero Weblec Jet (Box 3), which is undefeated in three 520m starts here with a stunning 29.54sec PB.
Heat 4 (Race 7 – 7.14pm) TAB Fixed Odds
Emerging star Storm Stroller (Box 1) is eight from 14 and two from two here with a handy 29.89sec PB. He’s drawn to make every post a winner.
However, don’t dismiss G2 Launceston Cup third placegetter King Of Calypso (Box 4), which has won seven of his past 10, and ageless veteran Jax Bale (Box 5) – winner of a G2 Cranbourne Cup and runner-up in a G1 Harrison-Dawson and G2 Horsham Cup.
WATCH: COMPLIANCE (6) spreadeagles a star-studded field in last week’s G2 Ballarat Cup.
Heat 5 (Race 8 – 7.29pm) TAB Fixed Odds
This will be a battle between the serious horsepower of Mepunga Mustang (Box 2) – a finalist in the G3 Country Championship and Listed Western Districts Derby – and the sheer speed of G2 Ballarat Cup winner and G1 Silver Chief runner-up Compliance (Box 5).
Mepunga Mustang is 12 from 14 and Compliance is 10 from 17.
Incidentally, Compliance was runner-up in the Western Districts Derby.
Heat 6 (Race 9 – 7.49pm) TAB Fixed Odds
This heat is a cracker and worth going a long way to see!
It’s difficult to separate Big Opal Rocks (7), which is seven from 10 and has clocked the second fastest time (29.02sec) this year over 515m at Sandown Park, and Substantial (Box 8), which won the G2 Shepparton Cup and followed up with a third placing in last week’s G2 Ballarat Cup.
But it would be perilous to ignore ‘country cups king’ Yozo Bale (Box 1). Winner of a G2 Bendigo Cup and G2 Ballarat Cup – both in 2020 – he’s now in the ’twilight zone’ but was runner-up in last week’s G2 Ballarat Cup.
Pawnote: The Group 2 Geelong Gold Cup final (520m) – third leg of the Western Festival of Racing – carries a $50,000 first prize and will be decided on Friday, April 22.
