Preps focus on NW Cup starts

A COUPLE of Devonport Cup candidates will line up in the $30,000 Golden Mile (1650m) at Spreyton on Friday with the hope of winning to be guaranteed a start in the North-West Coast club’s premier event next month.

Gee Gee Fiorente and Geegee Blackprince have low ratings but with, the winner of the Golden Mile guaranteed a start on the Devonport Cup, the trainers of both horses are keen to emerge the victor.

Gee Gee Fiorente is heading to the Hobart and Launceston cups over 2400m but with a rating of 70, he might struggle to gain a berth in either of the Group 3 staying events.

His trainer Leon Wells says there are other options open to him to get to the Hobart and Launceston cups but gaining a start in and then winning the Devonport Cup would solve all issues.

Geegee Blackprince is worse off that Gee Gee Fiorente as the Stuart Gandytrained gelding has a rating of 66 and would definitely need to win a race such as the Devonport Cup to boost it enough to be a chance of getting into a Hobart Cup.

Gandy also has nominated

Geegee Blackprince for a benchmark 74 handicap over 1880m on Friday and, as it is over the cup distance, he could opt to take that option but it wouldn’t make a big enough impact on his rating if he won.

Gee Gee Fiorente finished fourth of six at his most recent outing in a benchmark 74 event over 1600m in Launceston in which he led, owing to there being no speed early.

Rider Daniel Ganderton took the initiative when the pace slowed to a crawl and sent the gelding around the field to lead and it was only over the final 150 metres that the gelding’s fitness gave out.

Wells said the lightly raced four-year-old would have derived a lot of benefit from his last start and was expected to be hard to beat on Friday.

The Golden Mile is the feature race on the sevenevent card at what is a twilight meeting, with the first four races to be broadcast on Sky 1 starting at 3.49pm and the rest on Sky 2, with the last to start at 7.25pm.

It will be a big weekend of thoroughbred racing with the Tasmanian Turf Club hosting a meeting the following day.

The meeting will boast a range of maidens and graded events, with the benchmark 84 handicap over 1400m the feature on the eight-event card.

Last-start beaten favourite Newhart is expected to line up in the benchmark 84 with the hope of redeeming himself after finishing fourth of seven behind Rough Road when sent around a $2.80 favourite when first-up from a spell.

Newhart’s trainer Leanne

Gaffney put the result down to bad luck in running as he was held up in traffic.

Newhart’s first main mission is the Devonport Cup but, like a few others who have aspirations of getting to the Devonport Cup, he will have to start winning to boost his rating.

There is one more race that offers ballot-free entry into the Devonport Cup after Friday’s Golden Mile and that is the Sheffield Cup (1650m) on December 29.