Fit, firing and Dangerous again!

He’s back, he’s sound – and the Sanderson family’s harness racing star is living up to his name.

Dangerous (Sweet Lou) is looming as a major player in next week’s CA Fitness-sponsored 2026 Mildura Pacing Cup series, with the Murchison-based team eager to return to one of their favourite hunting grounds.

Trainer Shane Sanderson and daughter Abby will make the long trip to the far north-west, buoyed by a first-up performance that suggested the six-year-old stallion is right back to his best.

“He did look the one to beat on paper in that Bendigo race (March 25), but it was his first race start for over three months, and he sat parked (outside the leader) which isn’t his normal pattern,” Sanderson said.

“The overall mile rate of a bit over 1.54 was good, along with the last half of 55 seconds. He will get a lot of benefit from that and his work since has been super.”

Qualifying heats of the Mildura Cup will be run next Tuesday (April 7), with the $40,000 final set down for Saturday (April 11).

Now in its 70th year, the Mildura Pacing Cup remains unique – run as a heats-and-final series and contested on the notoriously tight track that regularly tests even the most seasoned performers.

But the Sanderson camp knows exactly what it takes to win the Mildura feature.

They’ve claimed two of the past three Cups, with son Ryan steering outsider Sahara Tiger (Art Major) to a stunning $126 upset in 2023, before Abby partnered Dangerous to heat and final success the following year. Last season, the stable again featured prominently, finishing runner-up with Catalpa Rescue behind Young Bluey (Betting Line).

Dangerous and Catalpa Rescue, now racing in the USA, share more than just Cup success – both were sourced from the same Nutrien Equine sale and raced by the same ownership group of Paul and Danny Lowry, John Wilson, Leon Hogan, Robert Hodge and Max Dillon.

“Catalpa Rescue’s doing very well in America – he won at his first five or six race starts,” Sanderson said.

For Dangerous, the focus has been on careful management and getting him physically right after battling joint issues.

“We’ve certainly had some happy times up there and we’ve definitely got ‘Louie’ (Dangerous) back on track after a few issues with his joints,” Sanderson said.

“The facilities here at Willowood Farm (the Sanderson pre-training facility) have played a major role in getting the horse back to somewhere near his best. After his work, his routine involves going on the treadmill and then the water walker.

“If ever there’s the slightest hint of any heat or swelling, we can certainly manage it.”

A winner of 12 races with 10 seconds and six thirds from 46 starts, Dangerous has already banked more than $259,000 in stakes – and has proven himself at the top level.

Sanderson hinted that a trip north for the Inter Dominion Qualifying Heats at Brisbane’s Albion Park (on July 4 and 11) could be on the cards for Dangerous provided his form was solid.

“We’ll see how he’s going, but it would be great to be part of it,” Sanderson said.

“Winning a heat of an Inter-dominion was a big buzz, but then unfortunately he had no luck in the final when he was fifth.”

“Most of his seconds have been in a lot of features races like the Nutrien 2yo final at Menangle; then the 3yo final at Bendigo and last year’s Charlton Cup behind Catalpa Rescue,” he said.

Since relocating from Sydney to Charlton in 2021 – and then to Murchison two years ago – the Sanderson family has built an enviable record in country cups.

Alongside their Mildura success, the haul includes two Ouyen Cups, a Charlton Cup and a Mallee Bull Cup at Birchip.

“The Mildura Cup win with Dangerous was a thrill – his owners told me they’ve always had it on their bucket list to win,” Sanderson said.

“So, if we can do it again, no doubt they’ll be pretty stoked.”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink