Oakvale Outlaw Ready To Go For Straight Track Cup Decider
Oakvale Outlaw Ready To Go For Straight Track Cup Decider
An exciting afternoon awaits at Murray Bridge on Tuesday, with the running of the annual Weblec Ace & Mepunga Blazer @ Stud Straight Track Cup which will be run over the 350m distance.
A series which is always well contested locally, this year’s edition was no different with four strong heats being held last Tuesday. Tracie Price and Ron Schadow took out two heats each, with the winners being Myall Mate (19.63), Victa Marli (19.27), Wild Banker (19.40) and Victa Kerle (19.28). The two Schadow trained ‘Victa’ chasers were clearly the two most impressive runners across the heats and bring an imposing presence to the final, which is worth $10,000 to the winner.
Previous winners of the race include Cash On Delivery (2023), Fantastic Victor (2022) and Aston Olenna (2021). All three of these winners were fantastic chasers and it goes to show the strength that this series always brings.
Whilst the Schadow pair of Victa Marli and Victa Kerle will start as favourites for the race, the Nicole Price trained Oakvale Outlaw will be looking to cause an upset, with the black dog hoping to improve off his first up run in the heats last week.
After not racing since early April, Oakvale Outlaw lined up from box eight in his heat. It was a slow start for him, but he quickly picked up speed and tried to get down to the rail, without much luck. He was in a bumping duel for a good portion of the race, before getting clear late. Oakvale Outlaw ran a good second behind Wild Banker and clocked 19.52 himself, which Price was pleased with, given the poor box draw.
“Box eight wasn’t ideal for him because he loves the inside, so I was very happy with how he handled it,” Price said.
“He’s going to be so much better for the run. He normally jumps and crashes to the rail, so the way he held himself from box eight was very professional, I thought.”
It wasn’t an ideal lead up into the heats for Oakvale Outlaw, with the son of Mepunga Blazer and Oakvale Beauty lining up for his first start in five weeks, following some hock soreness.
Following the heat, Price is happy with how he has come through it and is confident that he will run even better in the final.
“He hadn’t had the best lead up into the heats, he was out with hock soreness which unfortunately didn’t allow me to prepare him to a high level for the heat,” Price said.
“I did get a trial into him a week before the heats but that was all.”
“He’s had a really good week, I am really happy. He’s come up perfect.”
It’s a different situation this week for Oakvale Outlaw after drawing a much more suitable box two. Being a keen railer and a good beginner, Price is optimistic that he can capitalise on the good draw and prove too good in the final, which she believes Victa Marli will be the toughest to beat, with her early speed.
“He’s a talented dog and he’s good enough if he steps well out of the boxes. He will love the inside but he’s going to have to be at his best to win,” Price said.
“I think Victa Marli (will be the hardest to beat).”
Racing will start at 11:15am on Tuesday, whilst the final will be run at 1:44pm