Three times lucky for Cracow, Kirkwood

TRAINER Robert Kirkwood has seen his top gelding Cracow cross the finish line in front twice to win the Charters Towers Amateurs Cup, and today aims to claim his third.

Kirkwood and jockey Jeffrey Felix hope to make it a Charters Towers Amateurs Races hat trick, with thoughts of retiring Cracow not far off.

“I’m absolutely hoping it can be a trifecta of wins, but I’m quite aware fairytales rarely come true,” Kirkwood said with a laugh. “He’s the stable favourite, but this is probably his last year of racing.”

Cracow has won the CTARC Cup twice, as well as a race in Rockhampton and Hughenden, but his luck has not extended too far beyond the city limits, despite many races in Townsville. “He likes the Towers track for some reason,” Kirkwood said.

“He’s been beaten a couple of times by a small margin in Townsville, but his good wins have come here.”

Cracow will run the 1600m in race five against Ben Williams- trained Ultra Red, recent winner of the Ewan Cup. “If he doesn’t win, I’ll still love him come Sunday,” Kirkwood said.

The Charters Towers trainer paid tribute to his wife Sally for the team effort that goes on behind the scenes and Felix, who has only recently come back from injury.

The Cup has been named after the late Eve Mann, who was a past president of the Charters Towers Amateur Race Club.

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