The Shallows continued his good form heading towards Sunday afternoon’s Hobart Pacing Cup, producing a fast finishing burst along the sprint lane to claim the Fehlbergs Produce Brighton Cup (2090m) on Sunday night in Hobart.
After an average lead time for the open class pacers and a 31s first quarter, the tempo increased, in a race where there were horses three wide for the majority of the way, to 29.8s before closing quarters of 28.6s and 30s.
The Shallows ($19 into $12) settled back second-last before switching to the pegs at the 1400m, where he ended up four-back the inside.
Driver Brodie Davis was held up on the Heath Woods-trained pacer around the home turn before the sprint lane presented, where he sprinted home best to defeat Mickey Oh ($5.50) by a head, with The Croupier ($26) a further 1.3m away third.
“I was confident with the run early, given that we had done no work compared to the majority of the field being three wide through the corner. I would have liked the first quarter to be a touch faster.
“I wasn’t surprised with the turn of foot late as before when I drove him cold he got home really well,” said Davis post-race.
“Around the corner, I wasn’t too worried as the others in front had done a lot of work but I didn’t know if I would pick them up.
“I reckon he is going better than what he was last prep,” the driver added.
The win saw The Shallows pass $300,000 in stake earnings.
Other highlights on the Hobart card included a training treble for Conor Crook, with the exceptionally well-placed Magnetic Terror ($1.45 fav), Cheetah Lodge ($2 fav) who provided the trainer with his 150th career training win, and Out Of Eden, who continued on her winning ways in the Art Meeker Memorial Matron Stakes (2579m).
The E C Plunkett Memorial (2090m) was won by Jorge Street ($2.35 fav) for the Dylan Ford and Tammy Langley combination, who also had success with Martyr ($3.50), beating the older horses at his first start outside of his own age group with ease earlier in the program.
The meeting was put back two races due to the lightning and thunderstorms in the area.
