Image credit: Kim Deluca Photography
By Tony McMahon
The Gladstone Turf Club is expecting a huge turnout for its annual Cup Day at Ferguson Park racecourse this Saturday.
In total, 47 horses have been declared to run at the well-appointed Ferguson Park track, where facilities include a huge undercover betting ring with ample table and seating in place.
“We are elated with the early bookings and the vibe around the place is very positive for Saturday’s Cup meeting,” Club president David Weinert said.
“As well, we have 11 jockeys riding on the day which is always very satisfying given the shortages that have been occurring.
“They are coming from as far afield as Roma, Miles, Nanango, Gympie, the Sunshine Coast plus of course Rockhampton.”
The $12,000 Iron Jack Gladstone Cup only have the four starters and is similar to the recent Middlemount Cup field which also attracted that number.
“It is going to be an exciting race as both Barachiel and Grand De Lago fought out the finish of that race a fortnight ago,” he said.
“Grand De Lago’s style of racing is to use tearaway leading tactics whereas Barachiel gets back and finishes hard.
“It will be a great spectacle as the layout at Ferguson Park is like an amphitheatre allowing for the crowd to watch the races at close range looking down over the track.”
In the Middlemount Cup on July 30, Barachiel raced away on the spacious dirt track to win by five-and-a-half lengths, but it could be a different story on the tight turning circular Gladstone sand track.
Barachiel, trained by Jim O’Shea and again to be ridden by his last start Cup winning jockey Tasha Chambers, only has to carry and extra kilo at 64.5kg on Saturday.
Because Grand De Lago’s apprentice jockey Brooke Johnson has forfeited 1kg of her claiming allowance, that horse will meet Barachiel at identical weight terms again.
A ghostly grey, almost white in colour these days, the 9YO Barachiel has been a grand performer, winning 14 races and recording 25 placings for earnings of $262,775.
Neither he nor Grand De Lago, two years his junior have ever raced on a sand circuit.
Local Ferguson Park trainer Ian Prizeman has assured that Svindal, topweight with 62.5kg for the Diceys Liquor Warehouse Gladstone Newmarket, won’t have to carry much dead weight.
This has come about through Prizeman engaging heavyweight SEQ jockey Paul Hamblin who weighs in around 61kg.
A dual Gladstone winner and last start winner of the $17,000 Bundaberg Cup on July 23, Svindal has been in dynamic form.
In what looms as a very open Newmarket, Svindal through his liking for sand tracks, is the logical horse to beat.
Local racing commences at 1pm with gates opening much earlier with punters guaranteed of one of the biggest bookmakers’ rings in country Queensland in operation.