Faced with what looked like a weakened race, Captains Knock became a prohibitive favorite and from the outside front row rider Brad Hewitt was in no mood to take cover as he sent Captains Knock to the front and the four-year-old looked accordingly formidable while at the front.
His only danger, Max Delight, could not maintain the early pace and was pushed back as the field raced into Indian file. Will Rixon come off the rails on Max Delight in an attempt to inject some action into the event with a round to go.
CAPTAINS KNOCK DEC 5 REPEAT
Captains Knock, after running out early, was able to run his final two quarters in 27.1 and 27.9 seconds and Hewitt kept his mind on the job to record an eight-yard victory over a brave Max Delight, while I Break The Line held on to third place.
By winning, Captains Knock broke the 2550 meter track record previously held by Zeuss Bromac of 1.55.1 by running almost a full second faster in 1.54.2.
He also remains in contention for the New South Wales Carnival of Cups bonus after winning the first leg in Wagga three weeks ago. If all goes well, it will head to Bathurst and Albury for legs three and four and the series will culminate with the Renshaw Cup at Penrith on March 20 next year.
In warm weather a huge crowd turned up to witness a great evening of racing with entertainment. Although the Cup itself was not as competitive as expected, the club is said to be pleased with the attendance and overall interest in the meeting.
Brad Hewitt indicated after the event that while the Bonus remains his target, some of the most important Victorian cups are likely to be sought as well.
This guy is absolutely flying right now. So hopefully we can keep this going. He must continue to emphasize that Victorian racing is good money. Who knows if he can get a draw or two, there’s a bonus there too.
But the bonus is a priority, we are one win away from a quarter of a million, so that will be at the forefront of our minds. He thrives on consistent racing, so we’re not going to baby him too much and keep him at home.
I don’t care if he gets beaten as long as he sings for Bathurst (the next Carnival of Cups) and hopefully we can get that done. And hopefully one or two more after that.
By Tony Milanese for Harnesslink
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