Western Victoria: Fighter breaks drought, books berth
By Tim Auld, September 28, 2020 - 3:44 PM

Veteran Hamilton stayer Cuban Fighter raced into calculations for the $300,000 Jericho Cup at Warrnambool on November 29 with a win at Naracoorte last Sunday.
Cuban Fighter ($5) guaranteed himself a Jericho Cup start by beating Bear Arms and Spiegel Grove in Sunday’s benchmark 78 over 3160 metres.
The Darren Kolpin-trained nine-year-old now has five wins and 14 minor placings from 73 starts, with $251,765 in prizemoney.
Sunday’s win was his first in 29 starts for Kolpin, since transferring from the Cranbourne stable of Robbie Laing.
The previous day Master Fin scored an upset victory at New Plymouth in New Zealand to book a Jericho Cup berth, which trainer Mark Oulaghan indicated he might take up.
There are four more Jericho Cup “guaranteed start” races ahead of next month’s 4600-metre marathon — at Gawler on October 23, Riccarton (NZ) on October 24, The Valley on November 13 and Canberra on November 15.
Smith mulls Trap move
Warrnambool-trained on-pacer Trap For Fools returned to racing with a fifth placing in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday but trainer Lindsey Smith is facing a dilemma about where to run the seven-year-old next.
Trap For Fools was just over four lengths behind boom galloper Russian Camelot at the end of Saturday’s $750,000 race.
“I’m not sure where he’ll go for his next start,” Smith said.
“I was really happy with his performance but I’ll have to study the calendar over the next few days as to where we go with him.
“He’s just such a difficult horse to place. He’s just below the top-class gallopers and they’ll be there every week from now on.
“I’ve just got to try and find something a bit easier but then you face the problem of carrying big weights because he’s won at Group 1 level.”
Trap For Fools won the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes in 2018.
In less positive news for the stable at Caulfield, imported stayer La Baol started favourite in a 2000-metre benchmark 84 but finished second-last and pulled up lame.
Smith said he would be watching Le Baol’s condition closely this week.
“I think he sustained a bit of bruising,” Smith said.
“We’ll keep a close eye on it. He’s a lot better than that run.”
La Baol won two of five starts in France and the UK last year including a listed race over 2400 metres, and won on his Australian debut over 1800 metres at Sandown last month.
Welcome back, Frank
Respected Warrnambool steward Frank Beattie made a welcome return to racing at Coleraine last Saturday.
Beattie, who has been a steward for 54 years, had been sidelined for six months due to the coronavirus pandemic but was trackside again for Saturday’s nine-race program.
“It was great to get back to the races,” he said.
“It was wonderful to catch up with the other stewards, trainers and jockeys, even if it’s under different circumstances.
“Racing Victoria has been forced to put strict protocols in place to combat the virus and they’ve done a wonderful job to keep racing going in such difficult times.”
Beattie also acknowledged the hard work put in by track manager Darren Kolpin on the Coleraine racing surface.
“I’ve been going to Coleraine races for well over 50 years and the surface on Saturday was the best I’ve seen in my time,” he said.
“Full credit to Darren for the work he’s put in.”
Kolpin is also the track manager at Hamilton.

 

 

 

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