The 2026 Renshaw Cup finish - Ubetcha Tigerpie holds off Captains Knock (inside). Photo by Brett Atkins (HRNSW)
Ubetcha Tigerpie stole the spotlight at Penrith’s Carnival of Cups on Friday night, producing a powerhouse performance to claim the Group 3 Renshaw Cup and deny Captains Knock his shot at a record-breaking $1million Carnival of Cups bonus.
Much of the attention heading into the feature was on Captains Knock, who had already won the opening four legs of the series and entered the race on the verge of securing the richest bonus in Australian harness racing history.
But in a dramatic twist, Ubetcha Tigerpie emerged as the giant killer.
After settling at the rear of the field, trainer-driver Michael Stanley made his move during the running, improving to sit outside the leader and race favourite Captains Knock.
From there, Ubetcha Tigerpie showed tremendous toughness, outstaying the star pacer in the home straight to score a memorable victory by a half-head over Captains Knock with evergreen pacer Max Delight close in third.
The win was a major result for Stanley and Ubetcha Tigerpie’s biggest win to date.
“He was fantastic,” Stanley said.
“He’s been in great form all the way along and he deserved a good race.
“Unfortunately we spoiled the party for Captains Knock but that’s racing.
“Even though he’s had a good career to date, he hasn’t pulled off a decent race so it’s a good reward for the horse.”
Another memorable performance on the night was the win of Ima Boxa in the $75,000 TAB Regional Championship Metropolitan Final.
The Jason Grimson-trained pacer obliterated the new track record, clocking 1:53.5 for the 2125m feature.
Driven by Cameron Hart, Ima Boxa spaced his rivals by more than 19m.
This meeting was the final leg of the 2025/26 Carnival of Cups series and the quality racing was complimented by an incredible entertainment line-up featuring Eskimo Joe, Baby Animals, Chocolate Starfish and Brooke Supple.
