New Traralgon 450-metre track record holder Salad Dodger will be out to prove he’s no ‘flash in the pan’ in the Group 2 Bridges on Argyle Traralgon Cup series – third and final leg of the Gippsland Festival of Racing.
A ‘magnificent seven’ heats over 450m will be conducted on Friday night and Salad Dodger, trained by Anthony Azzopardi, dominates proceedings in the last of the run-offs.
He’s been marked $2.20 favourite on Sportsbet’s heats market courtesy of his sensational 24.48sec victory last week – eclipsing the previous mark of 24.55sec, set by Quinlan Bale on December 9 last year.
Meanwhile, Mobile Legend is out to claim a Warragul Cup-Traralgon Cup double.
Prepared by Daryl Brennan, Mobile Legend landed the G2 Warragul Cup (460m) in a race record 25.32sec last week. He’s a short-priced $1.70 favourite in Heat 6.
And Jason Thompson, who won last year’s Traralgon Cup – the first held on a world-first ‘J-curve’ track – with Typhoon Sammy is ultimately chasing a third success in the event. He also won the race with Light Of Fire in 1994.
He’ll rug flying machine Unleash Collinda – the $3.10 favourite in Heat 5.
Other heat favourites are Heat 1 – Hill Top Jonnie ($2.60); Heat 2 – Mr. Audacious ($2.30); Heat 3 – Die Hard ($3.20); Heat 4 – Revolution ($2.20).
Below is a synopsis of the heats:
Heat 1 (Race 3 – 7.48pm)
Can Hill Top Jonnie (Box 7) make amends for David Geall for the third placing of his older half-brother Hill Top Jonah and fourth placing of close relative Ferdinand Boy in last year’s final? The Listed Pink Diamond Rookie Sprinter finalist, 18 from 49, should be tested by G1 Sapphire Crown finalist Vayda Bale (Box 3), 16 from 84, and G2 Warragul Cup finalist High Tribe Rico (Box 5), which is seven from 23.
Heat 2 (Race 4 – 8.07pm)
X-factor speedster Mr. Audacious (Box 7), 13 from 16, resumes for his first start since September 1 last year. He’s unbeaten in three starts here with a slick 24.71sec PB. The G3 Warragul St Leger winner (defeating Salad Dodger) and Shepparton 450m TR holder should engage in a bold battle with G2 Healesville Cup runner-up Quinlan Bale (Box 6), which is 18 from 44.
Heat 3 (Race 5 – 8.23pm)
It’s been Die Hard (Box 1), five from 10, ‘with a Vengeance’ at his past two starts – including a sizzling 24.66sec win here. He’ll attempt to ‘Live Free’ against four-time G1 finalist and G2 Warragul Cup runner-up Titan Blazer (Box 4), 22 from 60, and My Neo (Box 2), which is 21 from 46.
Click HERE for Sportsbet’s latest Traralgon Cup heats market
Heat 4 (Race 6 – 8.48pm)
Listed Pink Diamond Champion sprinter finalist Revolution (Box 8), 16 from 28, has the wheels turning with four wins on the spin. He’s unbeaten in two starts here with a smart 24.71sec PB. G2 Warragul Cup finalists Money Owes (Box 7), 16 from 33, and Panadero Warrior (Box 5), 11 from 28, look the main dangers.
Heat 5 (Race 7 – 9.08pm)
This is a ‘need for speed’ contest between Healesville 300m TR holder Unleash Collinda (Box 5), 15 from 24, and G1 Hobart Thousand runner-up and Warragul 400m TR holder Paua Of Buddy (Box 4), 16 from 32, which is trained by Steve White, who was runner-up in last year’s final with litter sister Paua Of Janie.
Heat 6 (Race 8 – 9.23pm)
How do they beat Mobile Legend (Box 6), 15 from 33, which broke To The Galo’s race record in the Warragul Cup? He’s in ‘legendary’ form, winning four of his past five, and it simply looks a case of ‘I Am Legend’ again!
Heat 7 (Race 9 – 9.46pm)
Could the ‘talk of Traralgon’, Salad Dodger (Box 1), be in the ‘mix’ to ‘toss’ Glenview Park’s 450m TR twice in nine days? A G2 Bendigo Cup runner-up and two-time G3 placegetter, Salad Dodger, 13 from 35, is no longer a ‘side dish’ in Anthony Azzopardi’s all-powerful kennel.
WATCH: SALAD DODGER (B4) ‘tosses’ the Traralgon 450m TR when he ‘rockets’ to a 24.482sec win on January 11.
