Catch The Thief secured box one in the Group 1 TAB Adelaide Cup after bypassing the heats thanks to his South Australia Match race victory last week.

Thursday night’s heats saw Victorian Taken, who is in the care of Raymond Murray, record the fastest qualifying time of 29.35sec (4.41sec) in a typically strong performance.

WATCH: Taken win his heat of the Adelaide Cup from box seven.

Our last Victorian chance, Mepunga Isla utilised box one to perfection leading all the way in her second victory on the track.

Mepunga Isla is the care of Laurence Cahalan.

WATCH: Mepunga Isla win her Adelaide Cup heat from box one.

The Victorian’s have some competition if they are to claim their seventh consecutive Adelaide Cup after Golden Night stopped the clock in a slick 29.37sec (4.43) as well as the return of SA star Coorong Lucy.

Coorong Lucy had three months on the sidelines and one trial before her Adelaide Cup heat Victory on Thursday night.

Catch The Thief couldn’t resist one last look at the Angle Park track before Adelaide Cup contention, trialing between heats in a time of 29.33sec.

“You worry when you see Golden Night produce what he just produced but the splits Catch The Thief just run is enormous. 4.33, 16.51 – that is what you want. It’s airborne,” caretaker trainer Petar Jovanovic told Kurt Donsberg after the trial.

Group 1 TAB Adelaide Cup box draw
1) Catch The Thief
2) Golden Night
3) Coorong Lucy
4) Mepunga Isla
5) Emerley Zero
6) Taken
7) Major Major
8) Miss Bellawood
reserves
9) Rushes
10) Defy

Photo by Kurt Donsberg.