Vamos chance at Cup

PETER STAPLES

PREMIER Tasmanian trainer Scott Brunton has thrown a curveball at next week’s Ladbrokes Launceston Cup by nominating his Tasmanian Derby winner Vamos Raffa for the Group 3 event over 2400m.

The gelding is one of 18 nominated for the race, of which eight are from interstate. If he accepts he will be the first three-year-old to contest a Launceston Cup in decades.

Vamos Raffa broke his maiden status in winning the Derby earlier this month, after which Brunton described the gelded son of Stratum as “dead-set stayer with loads of potential”.

“I’ll have a look to see what is likely to accept and then make a final decision on Friday morning, but all he wants to do is stay and he is in very good order after his Derby win.”

Tassie mares Toorak Affair, Glass Warrior and Shady Hustle ran the trifecta in the Hobart Cup and are expected to be definite final acceptors with most pundits predicting they could fill the same three spots in Launceston.

The Patrick Payne-trained Home By Midnight was top weight in the Hobart Cup and Payne has confirmed he will return for the Launceston race. Billy Egan has been booked to ride the former NZ stayer. Tony and Calvin McEvoy have nominated Rockarral and consistent mare Tatalina, but only one would make the trip, if any.

The powerful Chris Waller stable has nominated Sydney stayer Naval Warfare, but the stable has already suggested he is a strong chance to stay in Waller’s Melbourne stable for the Roy Higgins Quality (2600m) at Flemington on Saturday week.

The Gai Waterhouse-Adrian Botttrained Taikomochi ran fourth in the Hobart Cup and is among the Launceston Cup nominations but he also is a final acceptor for a race at Caulfield on Saturday.

Morton’s Fork finished seventh in the Hobart Cup and his trainer Richard Litt is hoping he can improve on that effort in Launceston, while Richard laming is expected to accept with Dogmatic, ninth in the Hobart Cup.

Of the local stayers nominated for the Launceston Cup only three did not appear in the Hobart Cup — Vamos Raffa, White Hawk and Settler’s Stone.

White Hawk and Settler’s Stone finished first and second respectively in last Wednesday night’s Night Cup in Launceston and Settler’s Stone will be lining up in his fifth consecutive Launceston Cup, a feat not achieved since St Andrews lined up in his fifth in 2004.