Racing: Tintin gamble pays off in Messenger

Bettor Cover Lover put in a staggering performance in the $170,000 Sires' Stakes. Photo / Greg Bowker

Syndicate which owns the pacer turned down big money for him two weeks ago

An $800,000 gamble on Tintin In America paid off in national record style in the Messenger at Alexandra Park last night.

The syndicate which owns the flying pacer turned down that amount for him just two weeks ago and he confirmed himself as the next big thing in Australasian pacing with a blistering performance in the $150,000 group one event.

The four-year-old made the most of a perfect cart into the race three wide on the back of Captain Joy to outsprint Bonavista Bay in a carbon copy of the pair's clash in last season's Australasian Breeders Crown.

While the win itself was special the time was out of this world, obliterating the national record set by Flashing Red in an Auckland Cup by 1.4 seconds.

His 3:15.8 for the 2700m mobile rates among the most unbelievable times paced in this part of the world and left little doubt Tintin In America will one day win a major cup.

Trainer Geoff Small had been toying with the idea of taking Tintin In America to the Chariots of Fire in Sydney in July, a campaign which would have made November's New Zealand Cup a much harder target.

Now he looms as the early second favourite for that $1 million race and it seems certain he will be spending winter spelling and getting ready for Addington. Before then he has the Harness Jewels four weeks today, over his favoured mile distance.

And that looks certain to contain many more heart-stopping battles with Bonavista Bay, who has become the rock that Tintin In America's rivals break themselves against.

There was also plenty to like about the fourth of Captain Joy, suggesting when this four-year-old crop turns five next season there is going to be some exhilarating new blood on the Grand Circuit.

Earlier in the night Bettor Cover Lover showed the qualities of a potential champion filly with a staggering national record performance in the $170,000 Sires' Stakes Final.

Backing up from her hard-fought win in the Sales Series Pace seven nights earlier she was awesome last night, putting our best juvenile pacing fillies to the sword by three lengths.

And she did so in record-smashing fashion, her 1:55 mile rate coming from a 2:1.5 overall time for the 1700m mobile, just outside Elsu's national all-comers record set in an Interdominion heat in 2005.

All this from a filly purchased for just $12,000 at last year's yearling sales.

With her size, breeding and now two stunning feature-race wins in a week, Bettor Cover Lover is already worth a fortune.

"She is owned by a great guy from Perth but he bought her to breed from so she is not for sale," said trainer-driver Brent Mangos.

The race was yet another great success story for new siring sensation Bettor's Delight, who produced the first four fillies home.