Morris aims for third Birdsville Cup

By Glenn Davis

Mount Isa trainer Jay Morris has a long way to go to etch his name in Birdsville Cup history but he’s hopeful his annual pilgrimage will be successful for a third time with Cacofonix on Saturday.

Morris has won two Birdsville Cups with Just A Touch in 2011 and Iron Meteorite who was successful in the 2015 edition.

His biggest win as a trainer was with Heart in the 2010 Cleveland Handicap in Townsville.

While he is proud of training two Birdsville Cup winners, Morris has a long way to go to equal the deeds of the Cups most successful trainer of all-time, the late South Australian George Dawson.

Dawson took out seven titles between 1982 and 2000.

Morris is a builder by trade and has served as president of the Mount Isa Race Club for the past three years and won the local trainer’s premiership in season 2017-18.

“I won the premiership back then with six horses in the stable,” Morris said.

Cacofonix - a Kody Nestor ride - is having his first start for Morris.

The seven-year-old son of Dundeel was previously trained by Darwin’s Gary Clarke and is coming off a last start seventh to the Peter Robl-trained Hadouken in the Darwin Cup on August 4.

Morris revealed the unusual circumstances which led to Cacofonix finding his way into his stable.

“He was travelling through here when he hurt himself in the float, so we were asked to do a welfare check on him,” Morris said.

“We found he only had a few abrasions and Gary asked me what I wanted in return for checking him over and I said nothing.

“I later rang Gary to get another horse then Gary offered that I take Cacofonix.”

Cacofonix started his career with Newcastle trainer Kris Lees.

The galloper won two races in New Zealand and another at Doomben in Brisbane before Grafton trainer Daniel Bowen won a race with him at Ipswich.

He then did not win in five starts for the training partnership of Tony and Maddysen Sears before Clarke took over. 

Cacofonix won a 2050 metre race at Darwin in July.

“It’s always an unknown when you go to Birdsville as the track changes from year to year,” Morris said.

“It’s been firm in recent years and we’re taking a punt it’s going to be firm again this year.

“Horses from the Territory are generally tough and he knows what bush racing is about.

“He was probably out of his grade a bit in the Darwin Cup and he was a bit unlucky when he was carted wide in the race.”