Stars on Cup collision course

THE much-anticipated rematch between Lochinvar Art and King Of Swing is becoming closer to a reality, with the pair headlining hopefuls for an A G Hunter Cup start on February 6.

Nominations closed at noon today with a select 20 scrambling for entrance in the $500,000 Group One.

Ahead of Sunday night’s all-important barrier draw at the Crown Palladium, all of the big names in TAB pre-race betting are in contention.

Most notably, $1.70 favourite Lochinvar Art for trainer-driver David Moran and $3 rival King Of Swing for Belinda McCarthy feature prominently, which would be their first meeting since their epic Victoria Cup stoush.

King Of Swing is one of three McCarthy runners, with third favourite Alta Orlando ($9) and fourth favourite Star Galleria ($11) also nominated.

Emma Stewart’s stable also has three Hunter Cup hopefuls – Always Fast, Fourbigmen and Somewhere Secret – while training partner Clayton Tonkin has Out To Play in the mix, fresh from a bold second in last Saturday’s  Ballarat Pacing Cup.

Trainer David Aiken is also well represented, with Malcoms Rhythm, Reactor Now and Sirletic vying for a start, with the former two getting a chance to stake their claim when they line up in Saturday night’s Allied Express Casey Classic.

Anthony Butt and Sonya Smith have nominated Alpine Stride and Wolf Stride, the latter coming off a withering burst to run third at Ballarat after previously winning the Garrards Bendigo Pacing Cup.

Ninth for New Zealand’s Stephen and Amanda Telfer in last year’s Hunter Cup, Triple Eight will be transferred into Jess Tubbs’ camp and has been nominated along with future stablemate Im Anothermasterpiece.

The nominees will be reduced down to a final field of 12 plus an emergency ay ahead of Sunday night’s barrier draw.

List of nominees (with trainers):

Alpine Stride (Anthony Butt and Sonya Smith)

Alta Orlando (Belinda McCarthy)

Always Fast (Emma Stewart)

Bettor Be The Bomb (Basil Dooley)

Fourbigmen (Emma Stewart)

Ignatius (Todd Rattray)

Im Anothermasterpiece (Jess Tubbs)

Jamieson Steele (David Miles)

King Of Swing (Belinda McCarthy)

Lochinvar Art (David Moran)

Malcolms Rhythm (David Aiken)

Our Uncle Sam (Chris Frisby)

Out To Play (Clayton Tonkin)

Reactor Now (David Aiken)

Rishi (Lance Justice)

Sirletic (David Aiken)

Somewhere Secret (Emma Stewart)

Star Galleria (Belinda McCarthy)

Triple Eight (Stephen and Amada Telfer)

Western Sonador (Stephen O’Donoghue and Rebecca Bartley)

Wolf Stride (Anthony Butt)

• HRV Media