Former show horse Acacia Ridge is set to add to his burgeoning profile with a feature race victory at Moonee Valley this Friday night.
The unfashionably-bred trotter is a hot favourite to take out the VSTA Trotters Cup Final after claiming his heat at Maryborough by an ever-increasing 50-metres.
"Everything being equal, only he can beat himself this Friday night," his Toolern Vale trainer-driver Gary Hoban declared today.
The flashy four-year-old chestnut with four white feet shot to fame with an upset victory over the sport's bluebloods in last year's Victoria Trotters Derby.
It was later revealed that he had begun his career in the standardbred show ring winning the Junior Champion sash at Clunes, in central Victoria.
Acacia Ridge is one of only two living foals by the New Zealand-bred pacing stallion Anvil Lad, a winner of nine races in his homeland and now a show horse himself.
His mother, the pacing-bred mare Liberria, was loaned to the Van Maanen family of Stawell, who own Anvil Lad and now race his young excitement machine, by Hoban.
Acacia Ridge will be making his Moonee Valley debut this weekend in what will be his second run after a lengthy seven month spell.
"He's probably come back as good this campaign as last year, if not more mature in himself," Hoban said.
"His heat win at Maryborough was his first standing start and he stepped brilliantly which was very pleasing.
"He's off 10-metres again on Friday, but that should help because he's got some horses to follow out so he should be focused.
"We've targeted this series especially so that he can get some standing start practice....a lot of the big open age races are stands so he needs to learn now."
Hoban indicated that the prestigious Tontine Series in regional Victoria would be his next target en route to the Group 1 Vicbred 4YO Super Series at Moonee Valley.
The $8000 VSTA Trotters Cup Final (2575m) will be conducted at 7.33pm this Friday at Moonee Valley.
