By Glenn Davis
Toowoomba jockey Skye Bogenhuber gets her chance to outshine some of the nation’s bigger name riders when she reunites with wet track specialist The Monstar in the Moreton Cup at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.
Bogenhuber was the first rider considered by trainer Brett Cavanough when he decided to tackle the 1200-metre Group Two feature with The Monstar.
Cavanough and Bogenhuber combined to be a forceful team when the Scone trainer had a small team in work at Toowoomba in 2016.
She has ridden The Monstar four times for two wins, a second and a third.
“I like Skye’s aggressive style out of the barriers and she was the first rider I thought of for The Monstar when I decided to run,” Cavanough said.
“Skye helped me out a lot with trackwork when I had a few in work in Toowoomba two years ago.
“The Monstar is not an easy horse to ride. Tommy Berry once told me he was horrible to ride.”
Both Cavanough and Bogenhuber are hoping the current heavy track rating remains.
“He’ll be giggling if it’s a heavy track,” Bogenhuber said.
"He just grows another leg on a wet track.”
Bogenhuber can’t recall ever riding in a Group 2 race but won’t be overawed by the occasion.
“I’ve ridden in quite a few Listed races and I was the first woman to win the (Listed) Weetwood on Miss Imagica a few years ago,” she said.
“I had a great association with Brett when he was in Toowoomba a couple of years ago and I’ve been driving him mad to get back on The Monstar.
“I’ve always kept in touch with Brett since he left here and I think the horse will run well if it remains wet,” said the five-times Toowoomba premiership winner.
She surrendered a chance for a sixth Toowoomba title when she headed to Perth in May last year.
Cavanough said The Monstar has been “crying out” for a wet track ever since his last victory in the Listed June Stakes at Randwick a year ago.
“He’s second up and ready to go but he’ll only be here for this race,” he said.
“After this I’ll probably take him home for a couple of Listed races I’ve already picked out for him.
“I also had him nominated for The Spear Chief but this race was the better option once it fell away.”
The Monstar resumed this campaign with a close fifth in the Listed Luskin Star on his home track at Scone on May 12.
Racing Queensland webnews May 31