Trainer/driver Lance Justice has a strong chance of winning his fourth Mildura Cup. It is likely he will have two runners as Smoken Up was favoured to go through to the final after the second heat last night.

Our Malabar showed blistering gate speed to find the front and he was never in danger of defeat.

Our Malabar has returned from an InterDominion campaign on the Gold Coast, with no harm from the campaign, which including finishing fifth in the Consolation of the championship.

Justice has been thrilled with the five-year-old’s trackwork since returning from Queensland and was confident he would run well in Mildura this week.

The gelding has taken his record to 16 wins from 59 outings and deserves his chance of winning a feature country Cup.

Visiting Riddels Creek trainer Vince Vallelonga has a strong hold on the Tankard Dental Mildura Guineas Championship after a superb win in the opening heat by his New Zealand pacer Shot From The Hip last night.

Shot From The Hip is owned locally by Michael Villiva, Greg Pardo and Dorrie Bachetti along with Vallelonga’s cousin Vince Roccisano, who has ventured into harness racing for the first time.

For more of this story, purchase your copy of Wednesday’s Sunraysia Daily 15/04/2009.