Littermates Set For Bathurst Cup Onslaught

MARK Moroney admits he has more than a healthy respect for Bathurst Cup final rivals Winlock On Top and Zulu Warlord, but still believes he can win the rich final on Friday night.

Moroney will line up with littermates Fire On Ice and Fire Legend (Fernando Bale-Tick Away Fire) both Bathurst Cup (520m) heat winners on Monday.

Fire On Ice ran the quickest of the three heats when she went 29.61 to down Jax Kade. Fire Legend downed Prancing Diva in 29.71 in his heat.

Zulu Warlord beat Winlock On Top by four lengths in 29.71 in their heat.

“The back-up from Monday night to Friday night will not worry this pair,” said Moroney.

“I purposely gave them an easy week in the lead-up to the heats.”

Fire On Ice is Moroney's choice of his pair for the final.

“Out of my two, the bitch is my best chance,” he said.

The winner of 17 races, Fire On Ice is on the comeback trail after “almost killing herself” when a finalist in the Group 2 Black Top last year.

“She got knocked over coming into the catching pen after the Black Top, slid along and crashed into the pen gate,” said Moroney.

“She was knocked unconscious, then stopped breathing.

“Her gums turned blue.

“But, by the time they put her on the stretcher, she had come too.”

Moroney had the bitch ready to race again late last year for the Lismore Cup series but she came on season the day before the heats.

“My bitches from this damline always improve out of sight after they have had a season,” he said.

“But this meant Fire On Ice had virtually six months off the racetrack.”

The recent form line through the Group 1 Paws Of Thunder points to the Bathurst Cup.

“Winlock On Top ran second to Wow in the Paws Of Thunder, Zulu Warlord ran third and my dog Fire Legend ran fourth,” said Moroney.

Of Fire Legend's box five draw for the Bathurst Cup final, Moroney is realistic.

“This dog has lived in box five all his life,” he said. “He had the five in the final when he won the Lismore Cup. He had the five in the Gosford Cup final too.”

Fire Legend has won on 16 different tracks during his career of 25 wins for $126,000 in stakes.

Moroney has only three dogs racing from his kennel. The other is littermate Arctic Kingdom a winner at Went worth Park on Saturday night.

“But, I'm just starting to trial the third litter out of Tick Away Fire and the three I have kept look very promising,” he said.

“They are by My Redeemer and there is one dog that already looks exceptional and they are only 16 months old.”

Bathurst Cup final: 1 Winlock On Top, 2 Spritely Ebony, 3 Zulu Warlord, 4 Fire On Ice, 5 Fire Legend, 6 Jax Kade, 7 Zipping Vernon, 8 Prancing Diva. Res: 9 Aston Sapporo, 10 Zest To Excel.