ELMORE trainer Keith Cotchin is the first to admit Our Luciano will need luck on his side in this Saturday night\u2019s $75,000 Group 2 Garrard\u2019s Horse and Hound Bendigo Pacing Cup (1609m), but he is viewing the tilt against some of Australia\u2019s best pacers as a stepping stone to more exciting things down the track.<\/p>\n
The five-year-old Sweet Lou gelding will need to overcome a tricky gate five draw and the nation\u2019s latest pacing sensation Kingman if he is to land an upset win in the Bendigo Harness Racing Club\u2019s premier pacing race.<\/p>\n
Cotchin, who has trained in the region for the past 17 years, said while the odds were against them, he expected Our Luciano, a winner of four of 18 career starts and a definite horse on the up, to give a strong account of himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019ll run a nice race and I\u2019m sure he is a horse of the future, who will be up there for years to come, mixing it with the better ones,\u201d Cotchin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s far behind the best of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe horse is going very well. We\u2019ve got a lot of hopes for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe barrier draw hasn\u2019t been kind to us, but we are in there and if you aren\u2019t in them, you can\u2019t win them.\u201d<\/p>\n
With this year\u2019s cup being run over the mile distance, down from previous editions at 2650m, Cotchin said Our Luciano would at the very least appreciate the hot tempo.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be hard from where he is in the draw and with those quality horses around him, but he won\u2019t disgrace himself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s definitely on the up and will only keep improving.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s one of those horses that, against that class of horse, had he drawn closer and been tucked in behind them, he\u2019d be right there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can only hope they do a bit too much and he\u2019s getting home strongly and I\u2019ll back him to do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe seems to be in a very good place at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Standing in the way is reigning Victoria and New Zealand Cups winner Kingman, who gun New South Wales trainer-driver Luke McCarthy is aiming towards a possible $1 million bonus with a win at Bendigo.<\/p>\n
The bonus is on offer to any horse that can win four cups across Harness Racing Victoria\u2019s Summer of Glory.<\/p>\n
The four wins must include the $250,000 Group 1 Hunter Cup on February 14.<\/p>\n
A crack field of nine on Saturday night includes two previous Bendigo Pacing Cup winners, Bulletproof Boy (2025) and Code Bailey (2020), and the Emma Stewart-trained Petracca, who is chasing his fourth win from five starts following a year-long injury lay-off, and has drawn the pole.<\/p>\n
Our Luciano will be dual Group 1 winner Cotchin\u2019s first Bendigo Pacing Cup runner since 2013, when his former star Tanabi Bromac finished eighth towards the end of his career behind Sushi Sushi.<\/p>\n
He will be driven by local Tayla French, with the 28-year-old Group 1 winner chasing her first hometown cup victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gets along really well with him and it\u2019s what we are all in it (racing) for, to get horses are good enough to get into these type of races, and from there you hope to get one good enough to be competitive in these races,\u201d Cotchin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019ll be one of those horses. There\u2019s definitely a lot to look forward to with him over the next few years.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo doubt the locals would love to see Tayla win one of these (Bendigo Cups) \u2013 locals love seeing locals in these races.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being run for the first time on the same night as the Bendigo Pacing Cup, the $30,000 Group 3 Bendigo Trotters Cup (2650m) has attracted a field of 11.<\/p>\n
Sutton Grange trainer Ross Graham will fly the flag for the locals with his Group 1 Vicbred Super Series placegetter Avant Gard, to be driven by Bendigo\u2019s Ellen Tormey.<\/p>\n
A city winner at Melton in late November, the five-year-old finished fifth in his last start in the Cobram Trotters Cup (2678m) on December 28.<\/p>\n
The winner of that race, Bennie And The Jets, has drawn the pole on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
In one of the best Group 1 Aldebaran Park Maori Mile field ever assembled in the race\u2019s 17-year history, former Bendigo trainer-driver Chris Svanosio will be shooting for a three-peat of wins with Arcee Phoenix.<\/p>\n
The reigning Inter Dominion trotting champion has not raced since targeting the Dominion Trot at Addington Raceway in New Zealand in November, but finished second in a recent trial at Melton.<\/p>\n
He will have something different to contend with this time around, with the returning Keayang Zahara aiming to land her 11th Group 1 win and her 21st victory from just 22 starts.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s race is worth $100,000, up from $75,000 last year.<\/p>\n