News Article
Treuer To Provide Vic Cup Clues
04 December 2008
Victoria Cup hope Divisive, pictured beating Smoken Up in The Pure Steel, is equal favourite for the Treuer Memorial
The Casey Classic is the premier race at Moonee Valley on Saturday night, but the best Victoria Cup lead-up of the night is likely to take place more than 800 kilometres away.
The $125,000 Treuer Memorial at Bankstown, in western Sydney, contains several of the likely leading contenders for the feature event of this month’s SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup Carnival, at Moonee Valley on December 20.
The horses who occupy the top four places in TAB Sportsbet’s fixed odds market on the Treuer are all bound for the $375,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup following the New South Wales feature.
Miracle Mile winner Divisive and Iron Hudge, an unlucky fourth placegetter in last week’s speed test, share favouritism as $2.50 for the 2540-metre mobile event.
Divisive might be the one that brings Group 1-winning form into the race, but Iron Hudge has been advantaged by the barrier draw. The Mark Rolfe-trained-and-driven star will start from the pole, while Peter Rixon’s Divisive has gate four.
On the third line of betting is Kiwi raider Gotta Go Cullen. The Tony Herlihy-trained-and-driven five-year-old will kick off his Australian campaign and is a $6.50 chance.
Defending Victoria Cup titleholder, the Peter Tonkin-trained Robin Hood, is the only other runner under double figures at $9.50.
But that isn’t where the talent ends in what will be the first Treuer since 2006 after last year’s was cancelled due to Equine Influenza.
Master Of Disguise ($21) lacks the class of some of his rivals but he has drawn well in barrier two, while Karloo Mick ($15, barrier nine), Misty Miller ($34, three) and Bold Cruiser ($34, eight) round out the field.
The Treuer Memorial is race six on the eight-race card and will be run at 9.15pm.
