Cessnock trainer Clayton Harmey is a realist when it comes to the chances of Apollo Thirteen and Jimmy The Editor giving him a first Inter City Pace title on Saturday night at Maitland.
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But then again, he didn’t expect both to make the group 3 final.
“It’s a pretty good effort and they have the same owner [Carol Curran], so she’s pretty rapt,” the defending Newcastle and Hunter Valley premiership-winner said.
“They are good bread and butter horses. I got Apollo Thirteen 12 months ago and he’s barely been out of the money and he’s done a great job, but I’m realistic.
“I said to the owner that there’s not much racing this time of year, only the Inter City Pace and they are probably not up to it, but she said she just likes to see them race and she’s not worried how they go. I didn’t think anything would come of it and they’ve gone and run the races of their lives to qualify.”
Apollo Thirteen sat outside winner Our Triple Play then hung on for third as a new track record was set in the heats last week. Jimmy The Editor then pulled a flat tyre for a lap and a half when second to I Am Serengeti in heat three.
Harmey’s pair will be long shots from their second-line draws in the final.
“We’re up against it, but like the owner said, ‘you’ve got to be in it to win it’ and both have trained on really well,” Harmey said.
Ellalong trainer-driver Michael Formosa’s Mondooley Heaven (gate two) is the other Hunter hope.
Formosa won the race in 2009 with Staminator but he too will be long odds to score a local win.
Harmey expected Royal Story, Our Triple Play and Delightful Memphis to fight out the race.
“I’ve never won it, I’ve never had a horse good enough,” Harmey said.
“I’ve been in plenty of finals but I only train battlers. I train more winners than most but I’m not fortunate enough to have people give me $50,000, $60,000 horses, and that’s the only way you can win it.
“I’ve been at it a while now and I’ll keep trying and keep battling away until it happens.”
Harmey had two winners at last week’s Maitland meeting and will have nine runners on final night.
Bad draws have hurt his chances but he hoped Major Hei from gate two in the last would shine.
“She’s probably as good as any horse I have in on the night but she just refuses to pace for us at the races,” he said.
