Victorian pacer Fighter Command chasing Eureka slot via The Beautide in Tasmania

News.com.au

4 hours ago

Star pacer Fighter Command will bypass the Queensland riches to focus on a Tasmanian pathway towards a spot in the world's richest harness race.
Just as he did last year, the four-year-old will target the $60,000 Beautide in Hobart on August 2 for his ticket into the $2.1m TAB Eureka at Menangle on September 6.
The winner of the Beautide gets the Tasracing slot in the TAB Eureka and Fighter Command is eligible because he was bred and foaled in Tasmania.
'We didn't get an invitation as such to the Rising Sun (Albion Park on July 5), so we'll focus on the Beautide again,' trainer Jess Tubbs said.
Fighter Command, who was scratched just days before last year's TAB Eureka with a life threatening twisted bowel, has only raced five times since for two wins and two fourths.
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He will take another important step towards the TAB Eureka in a fascinating Nevele R Stud Pace (1720m) from a back row draw (gate 10) at Melton on Saturday.
Standing in his way is the exciting The Narcissist (gate eight), who is unbeaten in eight starts since switching to the powerhouse Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin stable.
Although Fighter Command won't head north, Tubbs is still going with one, maybe two of her stable stars.
The definite is star mare Rakero Rebel, who looks the main threat to pre-post favourite Eye Keep Smiling in the $150,000 Group 1 Golden Girl at Albion Park on July 19.
Rakero Rebel will sharpen up for Queensland when she drops back to racing her own sex from gate six in the eight race at Melton on Saturday night.
'Providing she goes as well as we expect, I have to take her,' Tubbs said.
'Better Eclipse is the other possible raider. He's got a Melton trial this week and probably another next week and then I'll make the final call on him.
'I had to turn him out again because he just wasn't himself in a couple of runs back, but he seems better now.'
In Tubbs' mind is how well Better Eclipse has performed in Queensland previously, including winning the Group 1 Sunshine Sprint in 2022.
Better Eclipse also won two heats and finished second in another before running second in the 2023 Brisbane Inter Dominion final behind the great Leap To Fame.
Queensland has been a happy hunting ground for Tubbs in general.
She scored her first Group 1 training success with Momentslikethese in the 2021 Queensland Oaks.
The other Melton race on Saturday night with big Brisbane implications is the Yabby Dams Trotters' Free-For-All where Arcee Phoenix resumes from a break.
Chris Svanosio's six-year-old scored his biggest win in the $NZ600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge on April 4 and is vying for Inter Dominion favouritism with star Kiwi pair Oscar Bonavena and Bet N Win.