A driving masterclass by Wayne Hill landed the Ladies’ Club pinup Arco a Cup winner at Port Pirie on Saturday, October 1.
The 250-strong ownership group, scattered around the world, cheered home Arco as she scored a photo-finish win in the 2022 Minlaton Hotel Kadina Cup (2050m).
Despite an amazing betting drift from $3.50 out to $9.20, the Aaron Bain-trained five-year-old scored by a shot half head from Rudi Sandel ($2.80) with Dancing Finn ($9.60), 1.9 metres away third.
The victory was the second Kadina Cup victory for Bain and his Aaron Bain Racing team with Ideal World winning in 2019.
Hill’s drive on Arco on Saturday was outstanding.
From gate five, and with good speed inside, it was feared he might be caught wide in the initial stages.
However, he was able to manoeuvre the mare perfectly settling one-out, one-back in an ideal position.
Hill was happy to stay in when pressure came from behind out wide, then he was able to get Arco into the clear coming off the back straight.
The mare sprinted quickly and responded again when Dancing Finn moved up on her outside.
Being out towards the middle of the track Arco didn’t spot Rudi Sandel flashing home along the sprint lane.
On the line, she had the narrowest of margins in her favour to score her 11th win for the ownership group since her first up win in March last year.
Trainer Aaron Bain said the Ladies’ Cup ownership involvement had been wonderful for the industry.
“The ladies are really getting involved and loving experiencing the thrill of ownership,” Bain said.
“On Saturday I received a video of two of the owners and their families watching the race, and the delight on their faces is what ownership is all about.
“I am sure there were many more owners doing the same thing around Australia and New Zealand.
“To keep with the Ladies’ Cup idea, we normally have Dani Hill in the sulky, but she was required for another runner and Wayne proved a more than adequate replacement.”
Bain said Arco would line up again on Saturday at Globe Derby Park in a heat of the Gawler Platinum Pacing Cup (1800m) with a view to qualifying for the final at the Gawler meeting on Sunday, October 16.
“Co-incidentally, the Lads’ Club horse The Kapiti Express won the inaugural Platinum Pacing Cup last year so it would be exciting if Arco could score this year,” Bain said.
