The roller-coaster ride Shepparton horseman David Moran has been on for the past three years hit another high on Saturday night when he claimed Victoria harness racing’s most prestigious race, the Del-Re National Hunter Cup at Melton.
Moran was at his quick-thinking best winning the $500,000 feature on the Emma Stewart-trained Honolua Bay.
A pacer regarded more as a sprinter than a stayer a few months ago, Honolua Bay lived up to his previous fast-finishing second in the recent Ballarat Cup to the New Zealander Copy That with his win.
Copy That was favourite and expected to repeat the dose on Saturday night, but became a race casualty, eased out of the action mid-race after choking down.
Moran, who won the Hunter Cup in 2021 with his champion pacer Lochinvar Art, won Saturday night’s race with a move to the inside running with 800m to run in which he got behind the pacesetter Spirit Of St Louis.
He extricated Honolua Bay into clear running on the home turn and the six-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding went on to beat last year’s Inter Dominion winner I Cast No Shadow and the Kiwi pacer Old Town Road.
Another of the Stewart runners, Mach Dan, ran a gallant fourth for another Goulburn Valley reinsman, Mark Pitt.
Honolua Bay was one of the best supported runners in the race and paid $4.80 on the tote for the win, firming from a $7 chance in some betting agencies.
Moran, who lost Lochinvar Art to injury and America, the Inter Dominion on protest two years ago and also spent seven months on the sidelines last season courtesy of the stewards, has bounced back to his high standard best since his return to training and driving.
Moran summed up the race by saying “it all panned out perfectly”.
‘‘It’s a credit to all those involved, especially Emma (Stewart) and Clayton (Tonkin) and the owners Bill and Ann Anderson of Lauriston Stud,’’ Moran said.
‘‘It means the world winning these sort of races and we worked out at Ballarat he goes a lot better when he is driven quietly.’’
While Pitt missed out on Mach Dan he still had a big night with two winners for Stewart, including the $100,000 Four Year Old Bonanza on the freakish Captain Ravishing.
It was a big night for Goulburn Valley drivers with Nathan Jack claiming the $30,000 Pure Steel feature on the US-bound David Aiken-trained Cranbourne, the recent Shepparton Gold Cup winner.