PUNTERS have warmed to Kiwi raider Auckland Reactor for tomorrow night’s $50,000 PETstock Bendigo Pacing Cup.
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The Mark Purdon-trained pacer opened up a $4.40 favourite with TAB Sportsbet yesterday afternoon.
But that price didn’t last long with punters backing the Group One winner into $3.60 last night.
Sushi Sushi is second favourite at $4.60 ahead of Victoria Cup placegetter Mah Sish and Mustang Mach at $5.50.
Mah Sish’s trainer Tim Butt expects his pacer to be hard to beat.
“He ran a terrific race in the Victoria Cup and then won well last week at Melton, so it should hold him in good stead in the Bendigo Cup,” Butt said.
“He can do it tough if he wants to, but he just needs the solid sectionals all the way.
“He’s not a sit and sprint horse, he’s more of a grinder.
“At this stage we’re still introducing him to the Grand Circuit level and he’ll furnish into a lovely horse later on.
“He probably needs to get out in the three-wide train at some stage of the race and be up with them but there’s plenty of speed with Auckland Reactor drawn handy and those sort of horses.
“If he gets the right run and they go hard he’s going to be right in amongst it.”
Last year’s winner Decorated Jasper eased in early betting from $6.50 to $8.
Central Victoria’s three runners in the Bendigo Pacing Cup were friendless in early betting.
The Glenn Douglas-trained duo Heza Trick and Saint Flash are both at $26.
Tanabi Bromac, trained by Keith Cotchin at Elmore, is the outsider at $61.
Early markets for the $30,000 Maori Mile suggest it will be a one-horse race.
The Merv Williamson-trained I Didn’t Do It is rated a $1.70 favourite to win the feature trotting event. Kiwi trotters Vulcan and My Escapee look to be I Didn’t Do It’s only rivals.
My Escapee, trained by Mark Purdon, is second pick in betting at $6, with the Tim Butt-trained Vulcan at $7.
Bendigo’s only trotter in the Maori Mile – the Alan McIntosh-trained Si Capisco is a $101 outsider from the outside of the front row.
Tomorrow night’s 10-race card starts at 6.30pm, with the Maori Mile to be run at 8.30pm and the PETStock Bendigo Pacing Cup to start at 9.30pm.
On-course punters can enter a draw for a chance to win a trip for two to Hong Kong just by placing a trifecta on the TAB.