Caption: 2021 Maitland Cup winner Ebby Jet Power with trainer Michael Eberand, second placegetter More Sauce and Michelle Lill, and third Amarillo Highway and Mark Giddings.

By JEFF COLLERSON

SYDNEY hobby trainer Michael Eberand has won the East Maitland Bowling Club Gold Cup twice and gone within two lengths of taking the Group 2 final a third time, so it’s no surprise he rates the 450m event among Australia’s best races.

The forthcoming Cup, with heats on December 1 and the $40,000-to-the-winner final a week later, was won by the Eberand-trained duo Aussie Infrared in 2017 and Ebby Jet Power in 2021.

Ebby Infrared, after defeating Mottza in his 2020 heat, was second, two lengths behind that dog, in the final.

“Apart from the fact I’ve won it twice, the Maitland Cup is a special event to me because it is held on a speed track, the racing is mostly interference free, and more importantly, the best dog usually wins,” Eberand said.

Len Me Dad clocked 24.94 to win an earlier 2023 staging of the Maitland Cup in March, but he won’t be competing in December.

Trainer Ruth Matic said: “I intended nominating Len Me Dad because it would have been great to win the Maitland Cup twice in one year but he was injured at his last start at Wentworth Park on October 7 and won’t be competing.”

When Ebby Jet Power won he got up in the last stride to edge out track specialist More Sauce in race record time of 24.87, figures which were trimmed to 24.85 in 2022 by National Sprint Championship victor Good Odds Cash.

More Sauce’s trainers, Michele and Mick Lill, hope to have two strong contenders in the December 1 Cup heats.

Mick Lill said: “Canya Smurfette, who was unlucky when sixth in the recent Goulburn Cup final, loves Maitland and we hope to have her and Canya Exclusive in this year’s race.

“Canya Exclusive won over 350m at Goulburn on Cup day in 19.57, which was not only fastest time of the meeting but was only .24sec outside the track record set by our dog More Sauce in October, 2021.

“Canya Smurfette has already won over 400m at Maitland in a flying 22.23 and the 450m of the Cup won’t worry her or Canya Exclusive, who has won over 490m and 520m in WA.

“They have both just trialled 22.30 over 400m at Maitland so at this stage are on song for the Cup.

“But they are obviously not as good as More Sauce because he was something special.

“He won his heat of the Maitland Cup from Ebby Jet Power in 24.76 before being beaten in a tight photo finish by that dog in 24.87 in the final.

“But More Sauce is the only dog to have broken 22sec for the Maitland 400m trip on three occasions and he got under the 25sec over 450m there multiple times.

“More Sauce and his litter brothers Robbie Rotten and Casual Glance were tremendous speed dogs who were at their best at Maitland, between them winning 72 races and earning over $323,000 prizemoney.”

More Sauce has been retired to stud and the Lill family is hoping he can emulate the same success as a sire achieved by previous Maitland Cup winners Aussie Infrared, Black Magic Opal (2013) and Paw Licking (2014).

Frank Hurst has been racing at Maitland longer than he can remember and the Londonderry trainer, who won the Million Dollar Chase with Good Odds Harada in 2019, is preparing Good Odds Atlas and Good Odds Cobber for the December 1 Cup heats.

Hurst, whose bitch Good Odds Cash set a race record of 24.85 with her 2022 Maitland Cup victory, will be represented by litter brothers Good Odds Atlas and Good Odds Cobber.

That pair, closely related to Good Odds Harada and Good Odds Cash, were brilliant winners at Wentworth Park on October 27 and at Bulli four nights later.

Good Odds Atlas won in 29.64 over 520m at WP before clocking a slick 28.85 winning over 515m at Bulli while Good Odds Cobber recorded 29.93 in his Wenty win and displaying his versatility by winning over 400m at Bulli in a sizzling 22.36.

Sydney trainer Jason Magri, currently enjoying his most successful year, is hoping to have his champion straight tracker Oscar Moses in the Maitland Cup.

Oscar Moses is not at home on tight tracks like Wentworth Park, but relishes roomy circuits like Maitland and at his sole appearance there, on December 19 last year, he bolted in over 400m, posting a sizzling 22.29.