BALBOA ROCKS CLOSES IN ON PRIZE
A PLAN hatched almost two years ago to win the North’s biggest staying race will be finally put to the test when Balboa Rocks steps out as favourite in today’s $ 100,000 Mater Townsville Cup.
Sunshine Coast trainer Darryl Hansen, a former North Queenslander, is confident of the fighting four- year- old’s chances of clinching him his second win in the big race.
Balboa Rocks heads the Cup markets after winning five of his past seven starts, including a last start nose win over Tucano in the Mackay Cup two weeks ago.
“When he won a couple of mile races in Brisbane as a three- yearold I thought then that he would develop into an ideal Townsville Cup horse,” Hansen said.
“Everything is spot on with the horse and if he gets the right run he’ll be hard to beat.
“Weight stops trains but he’s strong and he’s carried big weights before so he’ll be able to handle the 59kg.
“There’s a little query at the 2000m, but Bobby El- Issa said he should run it ridden a couple of pars further back after he won on him in Mackay.
“He’s a horse that just seems to do enough to win. If he finds the front too early he can switch off a bit, but he knows how to win.”
A win would keep Balboa Rocks in the running for a $ 150,000 bonus for any horse that wins any three of the Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns Cups. The bonus jumps to $ 200,000 if the treble includes the Cairns Amateurs Cup.
Hansen, who won the Cup in 2011 with Hussonator, has a healthy respect for rivals Tucano and Chivadahlii.
For fellow Sunshine Coast trainer Tony Haydon, a win with the OTI Racing import Tucano would be a dream return to Townsville where he started his training career almost four years ago.
Haydon was a long- time stable foreman for Peter Moody in Melbourne and had an important role in the career of champion mare Black Caviar before making a sea change shift to Townsville.
“Townsville is where I took out my trainer’s licence so it’d be a great thrill to win the Cup,” Haydon said.
“Tucano is a seven- year- old stallion and the biggest thing is getting him to switch on.
“He’s got the right weight ( 54kg) and he’s come on really well since the Mackay Cup. If he shows up like he did in Mackay I think he’ll be a big chance.
“We’re only a small stable and it’s really great that OTI sent the horse to us.
“I got to know Terry Henderson ( OTI principal) when I was with Peter and kept in touch. Tucano had lost form in Melbourne and they sent him up to us to give him a go.
“I suggested to them a rough plan for the country cups and they said go for it.
“We’ll see how he goes tomorrow and then we’ll decide whether we’ll go to Cairns.”
HE’S A HORSE THAT JUST SEEMS TO DO ENOUGH TO WIN. IF HE FINDS THE FRONT TOO EARLY HE CAN SWITCH OFF A BIT, BUT HE KNOWS HOW TO WIN.” BALBOA ROCKS TRAINER DARRYL HANSEN