If Scorching Boy can take out Friday’s $40,000 final of the Ladbrokes Goulburn Cup, he would be the biggest bolter to win the race in 41 years.
The Pat and Carmel Gammidge-trained Speedy Laroo claimed the feature in 1982 at 40-1, while Emerald Rainbow won the Group 3 event in 2019 at a price of $17.
Other than that, many of the race winners have been hard in the market.
So with Scorching Boy currently a $26 chance with Ladbrokes for the 2023 decider, trainer Jess Fothergill understands the magnitude of the task at hand.
Not that it’s phasing her.
“It’s a win for us (Jess and partner Clint Colaiacovo] just to be in the race. It’s our first Group final and we’ve had the dog since he was a pup, we’ve done everything with him to get him to this point and we’re just rapt to be there,” Fothergill said.
Scorching Boy will have to emulate Let It Develop's Box 5 heroics in the 2015 final to capture the 2023 Goulburn Cup
The 29-year-old, from Gumly Gumly on the outskirts of Wagga Wagga, thrilled to be in the biggest race of her career alongside some of the sports best and brightest.
“Zipping Novak runs time every week and is star. He’s not drawn perfect in Box 4 but my dog will leave him alone. I think Nangar Jim will lead but Nangar Larry has got some pace too. And Andy Lord has three in too that can all run, it’s a great field.”
A 10-time winner from 35 career starts so far, Scorching Boy will jump from Box 5 at the 440m start.
The son of Barcia Bale out of Shannon Allen producing a massive 24.69 PB in the heats, with the time the equal fourth-fastest of the eight finalists. The Jason Magri-trained Zipping Novak beat Scorching Boy home to clock the quickest preliminary of 24.27.
Fothergill thrilled with the progression of a dog who she admits “took some time to mature”.
“He’s up there with one of the quickest we’ve had, and we always thought he could run, but he took a while to put it all together,” she said.
“He’s a beautiful natured dog, nothing phases him, very relaxed and easy going. He was a bit frustrating early days but he’s a pretty handy chaser now.”
“He won a heat of the Million Dollar Chase at Wagga last month and he went super so we started wondering whether we should target The Bidgee Cup [at Wagga in November] or head to the Goulburn Cup.”
“We threw him in at Goulburn and he’d only had two slips up the straight in the month before the heats so he went better than expected and we think he can only improve in the Final.”
And if Scorching Boy was to pull off a memorable win on Friday for Fothergill and the team.
“I’d be ecstatic and on cloud nine. This is what you dream of, it’s what you wake up and work 24/7 for. These types of races are the reward, so it would just be bloody great.”
The 2023 Ladbrokes Goulburn Cup Final will be run in Race 8 on the card this Friday, October 27. The $25,000-to-the-winner Goulburn Workers Club Fireball will be held over 350m in Race 6.
