Heir Jordan steps up after Cup double

By Glenn Davis

Back-to-back country Cup victories have given Mareeba trainer Alex Malliff the inspiration to raise the bar with Heir Jordan at Cairns on Thursday.

Heir Jordan has started only four times for Malliff since transferring from trainer Luke Musson for two wins and as many placings.

The six-year-old will make the step up to open company when he clashes with stablemate Amalfi Amore in the Rob Koch Memorial race over 2100 metres.

Malliff is hoping it’ll be the start of better things to come for Heir Jordan, who placed in two Benchmark races at Cairns and Atherton in his first two starts in the north before claiming the Laura Cup, a Benchmark 70 event over 1450 metres, on June 27.

He then scored a narrow win over the Matthew McGuire-trained Mission House in the Ingham Gold Cup, a 1600 metre race restricted to Benchmark 60 horses on July 11.

“The plan is to aim him for the Cairns Amateur Cup next month,” Malliff said.

“He’s a very sound horse and is not the finished product yet and the further he goes, the better.

“The Townsville Cup might be a little too soon for him, but if he runs well, we might nominate for it.

“His rating for a race like the Townsville Cup probably needs to be higher though.”

Heir Jordan was a $20,000 buy online and is owned in a syndicate, which includes prominent Cairns bookmaker Brian Jorgensen and his son, Chris.

Malliff has been training full-time for two years after a seven-year stint training while working as a plumber.

He is best known as the trainer of former cult hero Paniagua who won the Country Cups Challenge Final at Doomben in 2020.

He is not afraid to travel his horses and had two starters in last year’s Country Cups Challenge Final at Doomben with Love On Sunday and Devil Kick, both of whom finished at the tail of the field.

Malliff has 19 horses in work on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland and is eyeing another trip to Brisbane with Heir Jordan for the Country Cups Challenge Final at Doomben in December.

“I’ve got 19 in work and I’d like more, but I haven’t got any more boxes,” he said.

“I won a Country Cups Challenge Final with Paniagua six years ago and I had two runners in it last year with Love On Sunday and Devil Kick.”

Malliff believes Heir Jordan can take the next step to win at Cairns following his recent wins.

“It was a tough win from him last time at Ingham as he had to come from behind on a front runner’s track and he only just got there,” he said.

“After this we’ll push forward to the Cairns Amateur Cup then the Atherton, Mareeba and Innisfail Cups before the Country Cups Challenge Final.”

Amalfi Amore was beaten more than six lengths when he beat two home in his latest appearance in the 2000 metre Winter Cup at Townsville.