HARNESS trainer-driver Paul Hill is on the verge of making a clean sweep of the feature two-year-old races in Hobart on Sunday week.
Hill will hitch up Hillview Jake in the colts and geldings final of the $20,000 2YO Sweepstakes series, in which he is likely to start favourite if he draws the front line.
But he will have two genuine winning chances in the fillies division of the series in Chica Bella that scored an effortless win in the fillies Sweepstakes Prelude last Sunday night and robust filly Scorchin Safari that was third in the same race.
“I am excited about both the finals because Hillview Jake is going extra well and Chica Bella also was impressive in winning her past two starts,” Hill said.
“Scorchin Safari is a big girl and will obviously be better as a three-year-old but depending on where she draws she is capable of winning the final.”
“Chica Bela has improved at every start and if she draws favourably then she is my best winning chance but it will be an open race,” he said.
Chica Bella has started five times for three wins and two minor placings while Scorchin Safari has four placings from her four starts.
Last Sunday night Chica Bella was hurried from the gates by top driver Ricky Duggan to park outside of the leader Shesastandout (Rodney Ashwood) with that gelding’s stablemate and first-starter Shadow Blue on its back while Twentythreered occupied the one-out-one-back position.
Hill had Scorchin Safari settled three-back the fence and travelling well to the home turn when Hill eased her three-wide to make a challenge.
In the meantime Duggan put the pressure on the leader and Chica Bella forged to the front at the top of the straight and she went on to defeat Shadow Blue by over a metre with Scorchin Safari a close-up third ahead of Angelina Rainbow.