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Finter hoping star gelding proves too deadly

9 November 2020

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By Glenn Davis

Last year’s Country Cups Challenge Final winner, Deadly Choices, will continue the campaign to defend his crown when the gelding returns to Townsville on Tuesday.

Deadly Choices hasn’t raced at Townsville’s Cluden Park since claiming North Queensland’s “Stradbroke of the North” - the Cleveland Bay Handicap - in mid-August.

Since claiming the Cleveland Bay when ridden by Nathan Day, Deadly Choices has won his last three starts at Mt Isa, including his latest 3.5 length win over 1100 metres on October 17.

Dan Ballard, who made a rare trip to Brisbane to win the Country Cups Challenge Final at Doomben in December, has been aboard in all three victories and will again partner him in the Open Handicap (1300m).

Ballard and his family are legends in Mt Isa and north Queensland racing.

Ballard was a leading apprentice in Brisbane 20 years ago but moved to the bush when increasing weight curtailed his promising career.

Deadly Choices is trained by in Mt Isa by Damien Finter, who mixes training with working as a contractor in the mines.

Deadly Choices is easily the best horse he’s trained, having won 15 races after doing his early racing in Victoria.

“After he won the Cleveland Bay, we took him back home to Mt Isa when the owners decided to try to qualify again for the Country Cups Challenge Final next month,” Finter said.

“He’s won his last three starts here but he only just fell in when he won a qualifying race two starts ago.

“He’s getting up in the weights and has 66.5kgs tomorrow which is not ideal.”

Finter, who has been training for 28 years, expects a strong showing from Deadly Choices in his final run before the $105,000 Country Cups Challenge Final at Doomben on December 5.

“He’s up against a better class of horse in Townsville than Mt Isa and he has to give away a lot of weight but he always puts in so he’ll run," he said.

“He had a tough campaign qualifying for the final last year when the floods hit north Queensland but he’s had an easier time this year.”

Deadly Choices' win in the Country Cups Challenge Final last year was the second time he ventured to Brisbane having run second in the Battle Of The Bush Final at Eagle Farm in June last year.