BY KEN WARREN FOR RACING & SPORTS
A trio of emerging four-year-olds won the final three heats of the 2024 Inter Dominion Pacing series at Menangle on Saturday night and two of them will go into next week’s final as dual heats winners.
Captains Knock finished atop the points table after his Menangle success gave him two wins and a placing through the heats while Eureka winner Don Hugo backed up his Bathurst heat victory with another dominant performance.
Dangerous meanwhile continued his rapid progress through the series by following placings in the first two rounds with a well-deserved win on Saturday.
Captains Knock showed his versatility when leading from a wide draw and packing too many guns after previously coming from the second line when winning at Newcastle in round one.
The son of Captaintreacherous showed he is relishing the hard racing through the series by going to the line full of running to defeat the mare My Moonlite Dream with Curly James third.
“He’s handling it really well,” Hewitt said of Captains Knock.
“The last couple of mornings he’s gone out there squealing and full of himself, it’s not worrying him at all.
Don Hugo will go into next week’s final as the horse on the up in fitness terms after another impressive performance.
Returning to Menangle for the first time since his Eureka triumph in September, Don Hugo looks to have a sense of timing having built strongly through the series, improving off a fifth when resuming at Newcastle on night one before stepping up to win his heat at Bathurst.
He looks to be peaking at the right time having worked early on Saturday before finding the front and drawing away in the run home to beat the consistent Jimartee and Jilliby Nitro.
“I thought he went super,” trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said after the race.
“I was out there three wide and had to use him a little bit to pop around.
“He raced really keen and the fractions were pretty good there so it gives you a little confidence coming out of that run tonight.”
Race caller Fred Hasting declared Dangerous “the find of the series” after the Victorian recorded his first victory in 13 appearances at Menangle, having placed eight times before.
Clocking in third at odds of $61 in round one, Dangerous improved for second at Bathurst and went one better again at Menangle, defeating the first heat winner of the series in Minstrel with Terry third.
“He’s had a lot of great runs here without getting too much luck and some nice fields,” driver Ryan Sanderson said of the stallion’s first Menangle success.
“This series he hasn’t warmed up any better when I’ve driven him, he’s just been so nice and just given me confidence driving him.
“Very pleased that he’s chosen the right time to pull his head in.”
Captains Knock’s trainer Brad Hewitt made it five heat wins for ID 2024 when The Locomotive made a clean sweep of the trotting qualifiers.
Challenged by Keayang Chucky on the home turn, the four-year-old dug deep to extend his current winning streak to seven.
Queen Elida was also aiming to win her third heat but had to settle for second, gunned down late by Parisian Artiste.
Don Hugo heads the market for next Saturday’s Inter Dominion pacing final at $2.60 after snaring barrier three when the marbles were drawn on track at the Menangle meeting.
Captains Knock is out to $4.80 after drawing on the inside of the second line while Dangerous fared well in two and is now second pick in the market at $4.60.
WA raider Minstrel is the only other runner in single figures at $5.50.
The Locomotive is a dominant favourite for the trotters final at $1.55 after drawing barrier four.
