Defending champ the $81 rank outsider!

HE CAUSED an upset to claim last year’s edition but will have to provide an even bigger shock if he is to successfully defend the title at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday night.

Capturing the 2021 Victoria Cup as a $17.60 shot, Max Delight is back to another tilt at the $300,000 major for which he is the rank outsider at $81 with TAB Fix Odds

The Australian Pacing Gold purchase is aiming to become just the fifth pacer to register consecutive wins in the Group One since its inception in 1974 when known as the Winfield Gold Cup.

The only triple winner of the Grand Circuit event, Koala King was triumphant in 1978, ‘79 and ’80.

Popular Alm was then too good in 1982 and ’83, before Bag Limit scored in 1987 and ’88 – the latter in controversial fashion.

Desperate Comment is the last champion to retain his title thanks to his wins in 1996 and ’97.

Sinbad Bay and Lennytheshark are the only other pacers to complete multiple wins in the Cup.

Sinbad Bay was triumphant in 1989 before returning from injury to score in 1991.

Lennytheshark secured the Cup in 2016 and ’17, with his latter win coming in the second edition of the year.

Lazarus won the January 2017 version.

Like Lennytheshark, Max Delight is trained by David Aiken, who remains upbeat about the stallion’s prospects.

Reteaming with premier reinsman Chris Alford, Max Delight has drawn the outside of the second line.

“He is going as good as he was last year, but whether that is good enough on the night we will have to wait and see,” Aiken said. “The draw couldn’t be worse and he is going to need luck.

“If it is a genuinely run race he has a chance to run into it at the business end, but if they get away with an easy time up front, nothing from the back half of the field will really have much chance.”