Secret Garden to dig in
Nolan plans to pile on the pressure
PAUL Nolan wants tomorrow’s Ipswich Cup to become a battle of attrition.
Nolan will start Secret Garden and he believes her best chance of winning depends on how much pressure the Peter Moody-trained Voila Ici, the $3.50 favourite, is exposed to from rival runners.
‘‘ With 16 runners they should string out with plenty of pace on and typically in an Ipswich Cup everyone takes off at the 800 metres,’’ he said.
‘‘I’d like to think they will start attacking each other from that point and we can be somewhere there tracking up behind them coming to the home turn.’’
Nolan says that scenario is Secret Garden’s best prospect of overcoming barrier 15.
‘‘Everyone says you won’t want to be on the fence if Ipswich is wet but we also don’t want to travel four wide the whole way,’’ he said.
‘‘Eight or nine would’ve been ideal but from 15 she’s either going to be caught wide or have to go an awfully long way back to get in.
‘‘The only good thing is there does appear to be plenty of speed in the race which she’s been crying out for at her past three runs.’’
Ipswich racecourse received 27mm of rain from storms on Wednesday night resulting in a heavy 10 track rating but officials are confident the track will improve to the slow range, given a fine weather forecast.
‘‘I thought if it was dry the Ipswich Cup would be a bit beyond her but we’re lucky that we’ve struck a wet track,’’ he said. ‘‘I didn’t want it to be bottomless but a slow track is still going to make the 2150 metres more like 2300 metres especially if the leaders go hard.’’
Secret Garden came from last on the home turn to finish fourth to Planetarium at her last start at Eagle Farm on June 1 which pleased Nolan.
‘‘Planetarium is the second favourite for the Cup and I thought we were a bit unlucky not to beat him,’’ he said. ‘‘This time we meet him 1.5 kilograms better and if the market is right we’re probably not going to be too far away from them with even luck.’’
PREDICTIONS of drying weather will please jockey Michael Cahill, who is keen to showcase Peron’s ability in tomorrow’s Gai Waterhouse Classic at Ipswich. Cahill has never made any attempt to hide his admiration for Peron, but has warned a rain-affected track would dent her brilliant turn of foot.
‘‘We have a high opinion of her and to miss the field twice now in big races has been frustrating, especially when she’s been going so well,’’ Cahill said.
‘‘It’s only a matter of her remaining sound and she will win a Stakes race.’’