Seven-year-old local mare Who Is Game gets her chance to return to the winner’s list at Manning Valley Race Club’s eight-race TAB meeting at Bushland Drive Racecourse, Taree, on Monday.
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In what should be a terrific race, the Michael Byers-trained mare can erase a couple of unlucky runs since scoring at Warwick Farm and return to the winner’s list.
She won the Wingham Cup here in 2016 and all going well she will again line up in the prestige event on June 1, Monday’s race being named in honour of the cup, it being an open handicap over 1614m.
Who Is Game landed a big betting plunge when scoring at Warwick Farm over 1600m on March 7 and since then was not suited over 1200m at Port Macquarie and was unlucky in another 1600m race at Warwick Farm.
Byers said of her last start:”She was trapped wide with no cover and was pushed out on the turn.
“Considering it was a reasonably quick race, she did well (3.5 lengths, 7th).”
He said that she has done everything right since and will be ridden by Mat Paget.
As she is not overly big and getting older, he wants to restrict her long journeys to Sydney, although he will look at another visit if she performs up to expectation.
One of the hardest to beat will be Newcastle five-year-old gelding Zigamore, trained by Jason Deamer, which has had three of its five wins at Taree, all at the distance.
“It looks like a nice race for him as the class appeals and he is down in the weights,” he said.
Handy finishes at Cessnock, Hawkesbury and Scone have resulted since Zigamore beat Parnossos over 1600m here on February 26.
“I trained his mother (Del Amore) for wins at the provincials and in the country and he handles all types of going.”
Taree three-year-old gelding Blinkin Artie, a winner of three races from five starts at the track for trainer Ross Stitt, could also be headed for the Wingham Cup or the Grafton Guineas (July).
He “ran out of his skin” for fourth (beaten about half-a-length) in the Guyra Cup (1400m at Armidale on April 15) and gave the impression he will get the distance at home.
“He was wide a good part of the journey… he will be ridden by Luke Cumberland.”
Among the other hopes is nine-year-old gelding Lucky Ima Cugat, trained at Newcastle by Steve Hodge and to be ridden by 2kg claiming apprentice jockey Louise Day.
The gelding is looking for its 10th win before retirement.
“Not many horses win 10 races and he showed by his second at Tuncurry and third at Wyong that he is still going well.
“He races well for apprentices and handles all types of tracks,”Hodge said.
Lucky Ima Cugat has won at Taree, Newcastle, Cessnock, Scone, Tuncurry (Cup) and
over 2015m at Warwick Farm on a heavy track in August 2015.
Another Newcastle galloper, seven-year-old gelding Egyptian Ruler, trained by Ken Lantry, showed by a recent placing at Warwick Farm over the distance that he is also capable of figuring in what is a terrific but hard race to assess.
Interesting late nomination for the race is seven-year-old mare Sofin, a Port Macquarie Cup victor, trained at Coffs Harbour by Shannon Fry, she having won nine races from 50 starts for prizemoney of $293,000.
She resumed from a spell for an 8th over 1400m at Warwick Farm on April 11 but does come to hand quickly and enjoys this track.
Another great race is the Saxbys Flavoured Soft Drinks Benchmark 65 Handicap, a heat of the Rising Star Series for apprentice riders over 1007m.
Five-year-old mare Oakfield Time, trained at Tuncurry by Terry Evans, is resuming from a spell but has the class to give the race a shake after a good barrier trial at the last meeting at Taree.
She has won in the city in one of her three wins and had five placings from 13 starts and as Evans said: “She goes well every time.”
Grafton apprentice Leih Kilner, a winner on her home track during the last week, has a claim of three kilos.
The mare’s likely next race is a 900m race at Newcastle on May 8 and perhaps a Highway race in Sydney