Tomorrow's Taree races preview

By Doug Ryan
Updated December 9 2013 - 9:45am, first published 12:00am

TWO winners at Taree's meeting last week, Port Macquarie's Titanic Sea and local gelding Grey Emperor,could again score at Taree Wingham Race Club's eight-race TAB meeting at Bushland Drive Racecourse on Tuesday.They were so impressive and meet fields to their liking to again give their trainers, Tas Morton and Bob Milligan respectively, a winning double in a week. Three-year-old gelding Titanic Sea, again to be ridden by premier Port jockey Peter Graham who had a winning treble last week at the meeting, looked good in scoring at its third start and is well-served in the Plates Restaurant Class 1 Handicap over 1400m. Morton has high hopes for the gelding over longer distances and is contemplating sending him for a spell in the near future to furnish further on the limestone soils at Walcha where most of his growing so far has been. Titanic Sea settled rearwards last week and made its run wide out to collar its opponents in the last 100m over 1250m and the extra distance should suit admirably."He is a lovely big horse which should mature into a good middle distance type."I have his older brother which won two trials but he had to be treated for wind problems and is back in training," Morton said.Gosford visitor Raise The Ante, trained by Grant Allard, is resuming after a spell but has form previously suggesting he is a danger when fresh, especially allowing for a two kilo claim from apprentice jockey Jarrod Woodhouse.Milligan's son and stable foreman, Glen Milligan, thought five-year-old gelding Grey Emperor could be looking for further than the 1000m of the Manning River Times Class 3 Handicap after coming from about eight lengths back to score stylishly over the distance last week.But the pace was hectic up front and this may have played into the hands of Grey Emperor which flashed late to score by more than two lengths in a smart time, beating that recorded by the open sprinters later on the card.This time there doesn't appear to be the same speed in the race with possibly the dangers being resuming Port gelding Double Power,trained by Jenny Graham and to be ridden by Cessnock jockey Robert Thompson and last start Taree winner La Disco,a handy type from the strong Gosford stable of Angela Davies.Premier Broadmeadow trainer Kris Lees appears to have top chances in four of the races, one of them being four-year-old mare Funny As, another mount for Thompson who had a winning double at Coffs Harbour on Friday.Funny As has been running handy races at stronger provincial venues such as Newcastle and Hawkesbury and gets its chance to break through for its third win at it 12th start here.Taree,Wingham and Krambach Cups winner, eight-year-old gelding Island Dane, trained at the track by Nick Chambers, has been finding it hard to win lately but gets its chance in this field.The gelding is feeling its legs these days and last start jarred up after running fourth to Mucho Calliente in possibly a harder race over 1506m in slow ground at Port.That was 25 days ago and the gelding has been given plenty of time to get over the hard run."He has been running well without winning," Chambers said."He jarred up a bit after his last run - these things happen with older horses when big weights take their toll."I would like some rain before this race but I hope he may give us a Christmas present," he said.Other hopes in the race include Morton's Overshadows, which is always thereabouts, with the query runner and capable on her day, being track specialist seven-year-old mare Lotsa Lobban, trained by Robert Barnes, the galloper being reunited with her most winning rider Belinda Hodder, at the mare's first run for 46 days.Doug Ryan's selectionsRace 1: Dust Devil 1, Chevalion 2, Decompression 3.Race 2: Mr Big Ear 1, Destiny's Daughter 2, Stardance 3.Race 3: Karamea 1, Mr Smart 2, Kastelos 3.Race 4: Johnny's Dream 1, Londane 2, Teilo 3.Race 5: Titanic Sea 1, Raise The Ante 2, Strategy Zed 3.Race 6: Funny As 1, Island Dane 2, Overshadows 3.Race 7: Grey Emperor 1, Double Power 2, La Disco 3.Race 8: Zizoom 1, Holy Duck 2, Merwaan 3.

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