IT’S going to take more than a tough draw to dampen the spirits of Chris and Anthony Frisby as this Saturday’s Inter Dominion Pacing Championship Grand Final (2,760 metres) at Melton looms.
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Going out three wide from the back row adds to what was already a challenging quest in the upcoming $500,000 Group 1 feature, but the father-son trainer-driver combination and their gelding can’t be written off that easily.
That’s especially the case when Our Uncle Sam is bucking some negative traits.
Anthony Frisby said one of the biggest concerns coming into the lucrative series was the short turnaround between races – with three heats in the space of a week – but Our Uncle Sam has been a beacon of stamina.
Finishes of fourth, seventh and second over the heats has given the Bathurst-trained gelding a start in the grand final.
His narrow runner-up finish last Saturday to leading chance Tiger Tara over the 2555m showcased his staying ability.
“He doesn’t back up really good so we went really easy on him during the week but dad said with each race he was getting better and we weren’t expecting that,” Anthony Frisby said.
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“We couldn’t have been happier with him after that last run. Over the distance we were a bit hesitant about how he would go but they went 26 seconds up the back and he was bolting along.
“I know he was on the fence with an economical run … but he hit the line really well.”
Can the form shown over those heats help Our Uncle Sam overcome a tough starting spot against Australia and New Zealand’s best pacers?
“It’s not a great draw but if they go hard out in front it could suit us,” Frisby said.
“Could be a great or disastrous draw. There’s a fair few of the good horses in the race going off the front. We’ll just see what happens.
“His three heats have been phenomenal runs and all his last halves have been really good.
“In the first heat he had to come up wide. In the second heat he went solo three wide to come seventh and we were really happy with that. Then in the third heat he had a quiet run to storm home. It just shows how versatile he is.”
Our Uncle Sam remains a popular dark horse pick on the market.
He opened in Inter Dominion betting at $80 but more than halved that price following his excellent runner-up result in the deciding heat.
The tough draw scared some punters away but, sitting at $34, he’s not being written out from featuring in the finish.
Frisby said he loves filling the underdog role.
“The best part is that we didn’t have much pressure on ourselves at the start of the series. No-one was taking much notice of us, and I still feel that’s the case at the moment,” he said.
“He’s only got to get the right run in the race on the last lap and he’s a chance to pick a cheque up.”
Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen’s star duo Spankem and Cruz Bromac look set to battle for favouritism while Cran Dalgety’s Im Pats Delight is among the best-backed hopes.