Huge TAB Eureka interest in SA Cup final
THE bonus for the winner of Saturday night’s $100,000 SA Pacing Cup could be a ticket into the world’s richest pacing race.
Young stars and impressive heat winners The Last Trip and Forty Love are both eligible and on the radar with slot owners for the $1.5 million TAB Eureka at Menangle on November 21.
It deepens the SA connection to the TAB Eureka, which was won by Kadina owned-and-bred mare Encipher in its inaugural 2023 running.
Further, the SA-based Aaron Bain Racing was part of the slot which partnered with Encipher.
Harness Racing SA’s late decision to boost SA Cup prize money from $60,000 to $100,000 has proven an inspired move with the quality of the race the best in almost a decade.
The lightly-raced The Last Trip has been a revelation since joining the powerhouse Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin stable early this year.
The four-year-old son of Poster Boy has won six of seven starts for the stable, along with a huge second in the Group 2 Vicbred 4YO final on September 19.
Managing owner Ben Said was buzzing after his stunning performance in the first of the three SA Cups heats last Saturday night.
“What about that? To do all the work outside the leader and smash the track record. He’s something else, this horse. He’s special,” he said.
“We were looking at this race and then when they boosted the prize money it became an obvious target.”
Said knows the importance of the race from the TAB Eureka perspective, too.
“I think he should already be in the Eureka, I mean he’s second favourite, but when he comes out and does what he did last Saturday, it makes everyone take notice.
“Hopefully he does it again in the final and all the Eureka slot holders looking for a horse see what he can do.”
The Last Trip is Stewart and Tonkin’s lone runner in a quest to continue their recent fantastic strike rate in the SA Cup.
The Ballarat barn has won four Cups, including last year with Miki To Success. The others were Wheres The Gold (2023), Shadow Sax (2018) and Guaranteed (2015).
Forty Love was similarly impressive winning the second heat, making an early move from the back row to take the lead and cruise away for an 11.7m victory.
Trained and driven by Aaron Dunn at Horsham, Forty Love has been a consistent player at the top level in age group for two years, but he looks to have gone to another level this campaign.
“He’s flying and he loves these staying races,” Dunn said.
“I’d love him to get a shot at the Eureka. He’s so strong, he’d really be suited to a tough 2300m race like that with the pace on the whole way.
“We’ve got the final this week first and I couldn’t be happier going into it.
“Good on SA for pumping up the prize money like they have. They’ve got a great race as a result.”
PHOTO: Walter Bulyga (managing owner Ben Said with The Last Trip after winning his SA Cup heat last Saturday night).