Christen Me bolts to Bendigo Pacing Cup win

Following the scratching of Beautide on Friday, it left Christen Me as the clear-cut $1.10 favourite.

And the six-year-old gelding with champion New Zealand driver Dexter Dunn at the reins duly lived up to its status as the standout runner in the field of nine, cruising home to win by 15 metres.

Outsider Hall of Famer ($74) from gate five took the lead early, but that was short-lived as Dunn was quick to get Christen Me to the front, and didn't relinquish the advantage for the rest of the race.

“I didn’t have to do much at all... the horse made it fairly easy for me,” Dunn said.

“It was a shame Beautide wasn’t here because it would have been a lot better race, but he got a good hit-out and won a good race, so it was a good night for us.

“We got a good draw (gate three), so we were lucky with that and that helped the cause.

“He did it well, but he still had a good blow afterwards, which is what we wanted.

“It was good to come over, get the win tonight and hopefully, we can keep his form.”

Trained by Cran Dalgety, the win improved Christen Me’s record to 24 victories from 41 starts as it added to its more than $1.6 million in career prize money.

Having run second in its last-start in the Cranbourne Cup on December 6, Christen Me won in a mile rate of 1:57:8.

While Christen Me bolted away to win the Cup in a canter, behind him was a bunched up pack of four.

Just one metre separated Smudge Bromac ($34.80), Chilli Palmer ($10.60), Im Corzin Terror ($17.50) and Cold Major ($32.20) from second to fifth.

With last year’s victor Im Corzin Terror finishing fourth, it keeps Bag Limit (1986-87) as the only back-to-back winner in the 51-year history of the Cup.

Bendigo driver Daryl Douglas chasing his second Bendigo Pacing Cup finished sixth aboard Wartime Sweetheart ($29.50).

Christen Me has now raced nine times in Australia at Group One and Two level for five wins, three seconds and third.

“There’s some exciting races to come, so it was good for him to open up his lungs tonight and get ready for the big ones,” Dunn said.

“He is a special horse with the speed he has got.

“He has electric speed and he can hold it for such a long time... I haven’t driven many that have the speed he has.”

Christen Me will bypass the Shepparton Cup next Saturday and now head to the Victoria Cup, Hunter Cup and Inter-Dominion.

“They are big races ahead and it’s going to be very exciting,” Dunn said.

In its 157th career start, Smudge Bromac - one of four runners for David Aiken - held on to second from a fast-finishing Chilli Palmer, which charged home. 

• How they finished in the Bendigo Pacing Cup:

1: Christen Me

2: Smudge Bromac

3: Chilli Palmer

4: Im Corzin Terror

5: Cold Major

6: Wartime Sweetheart

7: Uncle Wingnut

8: Jaccka Clive

9: Hall Of Famer