Currie gives nod to El Issa
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EMERGENCIES
Horse HOPFGARTEN JUMBO PRINCE MAN OF HIS WORD RAIDO RUETTIGER SHEISWHATSHEIS CHOICE BRO
HI I’M BACK TISANI TOMSO ZUMBELINA HARD STRIDE WITH A PROMISE AMANAAT LORDAG Trainer Jockey
Robert Heathcote Damian Browne Michael Nolan Sean Cormack Bruce Hill Brad Stewart Tony Gollan Matthew McGillivray Ben Currie Jeff Lloyd
Tony Gollan Alannah Fancourt (a) Tony Sears Nozi Tomizawa Tony Gollan Jim Byrne Kevin Kemp Paul Hammersley Chris Waller Michael Cahill Tony Sears Emma Ljung (a) Ben Currie
Ben Currie Bobby El-Issa Robert Heathcote James Orman Barrier Weight 15 59kg 19 57kg 10 55kg 9 54kg 8 54kg 11 54kg 3 54kg 18 54kg 13 54kg 2 54kg 17 54kg 14 54kg 4 54kg 12 54kg Price $11 $15 $7.50 $9.50 $4.50 $16 $34 $7.50 $17 $17 $17 $71 $5 $26 Odds: Ladbrokes A MIXTURE of factors has led trainer Ben Currie to book Sydney jockey Bob El Issa for Amanaat in the Listed Weetwood Handicap at Toowoomba on Saturday.
Amanaat has won six of his past seven starts and will be having his second open company start after scoring at Doomben two weeks ago.
Apprentice Michael Murphy rode Amanaat in the Doomben win but Currie was keen to get a senior rider for the Weetwood (1200m) .
“It ended up being a mixture of factors. Amanaat has only 54 kilos, so already it was a bit of a task,” Toowoombabased Currie said.
“Jeff Lloyd and Jim Byrne already had rides, Robbie Fradd is going to Sydney and Ron Stewart is suspended.
“Bobby rode for me when he was based in Brisbane and he is an experienced lightweight jockey. He will get the job done.”
El Issa has been riding mainly in NSW provincial and country areas after overcoming cancer in 2016.
Currie won the Weetwood last year but had to share victory when Col ’N’ Lil crossed the line locked with the Michael Nolan-trained Jumbo Prince who will run again on Saturday.
In Saturday’s other feature race, jockey Skye Bogenhuber has a leading chance to complete a successful homecoming when she rides stakes winner Rudy in the Toowoomba Cup (2000m).
Bogenhuber won the Toowoomba Cup on Bang On in 2013, the same year she completed the feature double by winning the Weetwood Handicap on Miss Imagica.
She is closing in on 600 winners and nearly half of those have been on her home track at Toowoomba where she has won five premierships.
Bogenhuber moved to Perth in August last year and rode successfully but felt the opportunities were better in Queensland and moved back to Toowoomba in November.
The Gold Coast-trained Rudy, topweight in the Toowoomba Cup with 60kg, is headed to Sydney for his third tilt at the JRA Plate (2000m) at Randwick if he comes through the race well.
Trainer Helen Page decided the Toowoomba Cup would be an ideal lead-up to the Sydney trip and Bogenhuber’s knowledge of the Clifford Park track would be an asset.