Triple Strip put to the test
TRAINER John Blacker will know immediately following the Golden Mile whether he has another Devonport Cup prospect in his stable.
Blacker saddles up his talented mare Triple Strip in the Golden Mile (1650m) and he is quietly confident the daughter of Needs Further can win and be guaranteed a start in the North-West Coast club’s premier event over 1880m on January 8.
The winner of the Golden Mile gains ballot-free entry into the Devonport Cup and that’s what Blacker is banking on with Triple Strip.
“This is the easiest of the three lead-up races that have ballot-free entry into the Devonport Cup, so she gets her chance on Friday,” Blacker said. “The mare is proven at the distance (1600m), she likes racing in the synthetic and it isn’t an overly strong field.
“She was an impressive winner over 1600m last start in Launceston and she definitely hasn’t gone backwards since that run.”
Blacker expects jockey
Craig Newitt to have the mare settled back in the field and provided the speed is honest he believes his mare will be too strong for her rivals at the business and of the race.
He also saddles up the top weight Beaufort Lad that is always a chance in this type of race, despite having to lug top weight of 58.5kg.
Willby Rules won the race last year and gets in again with the minimum weight of 54kg.
He impressed first-up with a win over 1150m in Devonport, but his subsequent effort was well below par when last of seven in an open handicap over 1400m in Launceston just over two weeks ago.
However, the gelding’s trainer Nigel Schuuring says there were excuses last start and that he was only 4½ lengths off the winner so was far from disappointing.
The horse has had a completely different prep to last season, and he did win last year’s Golden Mile, so Schuuring will no doubt be banking in history repeating itself on Friday.
The race boasts a it small field of eight with genuine speed from Dothraki Princess and Underplay likely to ensure it is run at an honest tempo, which could give the swoopers, such as Triple Strip, every chance to win.
The Golden Mile is the fourth race on the sevenevent card with the first four races to be broadcast on Sky 1 and the balance of the program on Sky 2.
The prizemoney for this year’s Golden Mile has been dropped back to $30,000 from $50,000 while the Sheffield Cup prizemoney has been boosted from $20,000 to $50,000.
Finding best bets on today’s Devonport program will not be easy but if the Rowan Hamer-trained Aspirate is on his best behaviour, then he looms as the likely winner of race three, a benchmark 66 handicap over 1350m.
Aspirate has won four of his 19 starts but unruly barrier manners and a habit of finding new ways to be beaten has frustrated punters and his trainer.
“We took him to Melbourne and had a bit of luck winning a race at Pakenham, but it wasn’t so much about winning a race, it was more to do with the trip helping him to mature as a racehorse,” Hamer said.
“His first-up run last Sunday week was a lot better than it looked in running third to Tessie.
“He got back a long way and he did a couple of things wrong when Siggy [Carr] was trying to make a move.
“This race is against a similar class of opposition, so I am expecting him to win.”