SYDNEY’S premier trainer Chris Waller and premier provincial trainer Kris Lees, of Newcastle, have nominated 10 of the 28 horses for the $80,000 Stacks Law Firm Taree Gold Cup (2000m) at Taree this Sunday.
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Also nominations have been received from Randwick’s Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott training partnership and Rosehill’s Richard Freeman.
Lees is no stranger to winning the cup and he has last year’s third placegetter joining the 2016 winner Olympic Academy among nominations.
Manning Valley Race Club has received 328 nominations for the nearly $500,000 two day carnival on Friday and Sunday.
The strong nominations are unprecedented and club officials are looking forward to what gallopers accept for the cup on Thursday.
There is no doubt that Waller has been having a picnic winning the middle distance
races in Sydney for many years but it would be a first should he win on Sunday.
His entries are Mutarakem, last Saturday’s winner Quick Defence, Vassal, Vaulcluse Bay and Veladero.
Waterhouse and Bott have nominated Mushaireb, second to Sir Barb over 1600m at Warwick Farm last start, whereas Freeman has Shalmaneser which was ninth at Canterbury on August 8.
Cup Prelude winner Lady Evelyn, trained at Newcastle by Jason Deamer, is there along with Port Macquarie’s hope Cogliere, trained by Marc Quinn.
Sixteen of the 153 nominations for Friday’s TAB meeting are for the $32,000 Hopkins Livermore Cup (1400m) and include horses from Warwick Farm, Kembla Grange, Newcastle, Wyong, Scone and the Mid North Coast.
Warwick Farm trainer Jarrod Austin has nominated seven-year-old gelding Carluca which has a tremendous record at the distance, five of its six wins among them, plus 10 placings, in 26 starts at the journey.
It was beaten two lengths over 1550m when fourth at Canterbury last start behind Gauguin.
Kembla Grange’s Theresa Bateup’s Uno Best was second in a photo finish behind Rhomlo over 1408m on July 29.
Many of the gallopers which finished behind Newcastle mare Lady Evelyn over 1600m in the Taree Cup Prelude last start have been nominated.
They include Abohar (4th) from the Port Macquarie stable of Neil Godbolt, his Dixie Lad (7th), and Newcastle trainer Paul Perry’s Marathon.
Local gallopers include Alot Like Home, a last start winner for Steve Fell at Coffs Harbour, track specialist four-year-old gelding Blinkin Artie (four wins), trained by Ross Stitt, recent track winner Sniponet from the Wayne Wilkes stable, and newcomer trainer Tony Ball with Florever Special.
All the other races are full of visiting and local gallopers and provide plenty of appeal.
I will preview this and the cup meeting in Friday’s edition.
