Queensland trainer Graham Dwyer continued his winning form at the Tamworth Paceway on Sunday night taking out the first of the Multiquip Golden Guitar heats.
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Fresh off training a trifecta in the Pub Group Gold Nugget with Hy Voltage as the winner, this time around Dwyer saw Surf Ace - who finished second to his stablemate in the Nugget race - claim victory and gain entry into Friday night's final.
"The horse has pulled up super, very happy after that run," Dwyer said.
He was full of praise for his Queensland reinsman Brendan Barnes, who guided Surf Ace to a tidy win.
"Brendan is a good driver - he doesn't need luck to go his way in a race - he makes his own luck and makes the most of it," he said.
Barnes, who is Queensland's leading reinsman, immediately returned home for driving engagements this week but will return to Tamworth on Friday for the $40,000 final which will make up part of the Tamworth Harness Racing Club's Carnival of Cups night.
"Brendan will retain the drive in the final," Dwyer confirmed.
He made the most of the eight barrier in the first heat slotting the Somebeachsomewhere-Henin Hardenne five-year-old gelding nicely into the one-by-one racing position with My Ultimate Skeeta from the Jarrod Alchin stables in Sydney, and driven by leading NSW reinsman Cameron Hart, heading up the field.
"Brendan pulled the horse (Surf Ace) out with about 500m to go up the back straight and the horse does not do a lot of work in his races but he is a high-speed horse," Dwyer said.
Starting at $3.20 Surf Ace had the $2.00 race favourite My Ultimate Skeeta reined in on the final bend before coming away for an 11m win.
Tamworth local pacer Unsully from the Tony Missen stables, driven by Bake Hughes, was a further 11m away third.
Surf Ace also produced a new track record over the 1980m race distance with a mile rate of 1.55.8, which swiped point three of a second off the open record set by The Bus back in 2019 of 1.56.1.
With the draw for the final to be released late on Tuesday afternoon Dwyer, who is enjoying some time out with his family taking in the country music atmosphere away from his base of North Mclean, is taking it all in his stride.
"I think the barrier draw will be unfavourable to us but we will have to wait and see," he said.
And as to the main dangers that he sees for Surf Ace in the final?
"I thought all the winners went well - I think all the horses in the final are dangers. It is such an open race but my horse showed he can do it and he did it well," Dwyer said.
"We should have two in the consolation and I am still weighing up if I will put Hy Voltage into the Cup or not."
Dwyer and his Kingslodge Training Stables finished fourth in the 2019 running of the Golden Guitar Final with Goalkicker, driven by Lola Weidemann, with I'm Norma Jean heading back to Queensland as the winner.
"I am hoping we can do better than that," he said.
"But if not, it won't worry me, we have already had a good carnival."
"Surf Ace was our best chance of getting into the final and now we are there."
Bathurst based trainer Bernie Hewitt will also be awaiting the draw for the final with two runners after training and driving Chap Daddy (MR 1.56.6) for a win in the third heat and stablemate Promising finished second to Metallica Man in the second heat.
