His home cup beckons, but a start at Scone this Friday for Coast winner Know Thyself will depend on his condition and the weather forecast.
Know Thyself, trained by Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich, was backed in from $3 to start $2.70 favourite in the $500,000 Coast Quality (1600m) at Gosford last Saturday and prevailed by a length from second favourite Depth Of Character.
The win was Know Thyself’s fourth in a row and his seventh from 10 starts, boosting his prizemoney winnings past $1.25 million.
Jockey Ashley Morgan settled the four-year-old just off the leader, Townsend, who set a solid pace.
“I got to Rachel (King, rider of Townsend) early but I just had to work on him and trust he was fit,” Morgan said.
“I knew he’d see the mile out well. I felt a little bit vulnerable a furlong and a half (300m) out but he dug in and was strongest late. He is really tough,” Morgan told media.
The win qualified Know Thyself for this Friday’s listed $200,000 Scone Cup over the same trip, where the first two across the line in the cup are automatically qualified for this year’s $3 million Big Dance, but Messara would not immediately commit to starting the four-year-old.
“The horse comes first and we’ll see how he pulls up from today,” he said.
“It was a solid run and we want to make sure he’s 100 per cent before we make that decision but if it’s a heavy track we might be tempted to go around.”
Kate toughs it out
Earlier at Gosford, Kembla Grange mare Monte Kate ($6.50) displayed plenty of determination in recording a long-neck win over Duck Egg Blue in the 1200-metre benchmark 72 Midway Handicap.
“At the 600 Kerrin (McEvoy)’s horse (Duck Egg Blue) dropped the bridle, half-propped and I thought it doesn’t seem too enthusiastic to be here,” said winning jockey Adam Hyeronimus.
“I wanted to put the pressure on it to worry it out of it and after wobbling about the bend we always had the wood on it. The rest is history.”
Robert Price, who trains the mare in partnership with son Luke, praised Hyeronimus’s ride.
“She’s the type of mare that likes a bit of elbow room so that’s the way to ride her,” he said.
“Her gallop on Tuesday suggested she’d run boldly and she was in a good frame of mind prior to the race.
“She can get a bit hot and bothered on race day but she paraded 10 out of 10 and delivered in spades.”
Burgo got a bargain
Tuncurry-based Joe Burges was the other non-metro trainer to get a win at Gosford’s feature meeting, taking the 1200-metre Class 3 TAB Highway Handicap with McKeon ($17).
McKeon charged home from back in the field to nail Ritzsun right on the line in a thrilling finish, to win by a long head, with Bakhita just a nose away in third place.
“She was presented here in really good order today and I think the blinkers were a really great addition,” said winning jockey Alysha Collett. “I liked the fact that she was coming back in distance to 1200 metres on a wet track because she was hard and fit.”
Burges has good reason to be grateful to McKeon, having bought the mare for just $2250 in 2023.
“She’s got untapped ability but she’s quirky and you’ve got to work with her,” he said.
“I think she’s won $200,000 since I bought her so she’s been a dream result,” he added in something of an understatement.
Around the traps
Dominant NSW picnic trainer Connie Greig was back on the winning list last Saturday afternoon at Quambone, taking the feature race, the Marthaguy Picnic Cup (1400m) with Individualist ($5.50), ridden by Paul Zerafa.   
At Grafton the previous day, Murwillumbah trainer Matthew Dunn and jockey Andrew Mallyon combined to land a winning double, while at Canberra Andrew Adkins fared best of the jockeys, also with a winning double.
On Sunday at Queanbeyan trainer Nick Olive led in a winning double.
The first of his winners, Exceedingly Hot ($2.90 favourite), was particularly impressive in winning the 1600-metre, Class 3 by nearly four lengths under apprentice Coriah Keatings and looks certain to have more wins ahead of him.
At Mudgee the same afternoon, Warwick Farm-based Bjorn Baker took the honours with the first two winners on the program.
Weather again played havoc with meetings in the state’s north, with heavy rains resulting in the abandonment or postponement of meetings at Coffs Harbour, Lismore and Murwillumbah.  
Scone gets the cream
All eyes turn to Scone, in the heart of Hunter Valley horse country, for the club’s two-day carnival this Friday and Saturday.
As mentioned the Scone Cup is the highlight of day one, ably supported by the $200,000 Inglis 2YO Challenge, (1100m) and the $90,000 Country Cup (1400m), restricted to country horses as defined by Racing NSW.
Saturday is the Scone Race Club’s major meeting of the season, featuring the $250,000 Group 3 Dark Jewel Classic (1400m) for fillies and mares, the $200,000 listed Luskin Star Stakes (1300m), the $200,000 listed Ortensia Stakes  (1100m), the $200,000 listed, Denise’s Joy Stakes (1100m) for three-year-old fillies and the $200,000 listed Woodlands Stakes (1100m) for two-year-old fillies.
On the same afternoon in the state’s north west, it’s cup day at Brewarrina, with the feature over the 1200 metres.
Sunday’s main action is in the central west for the $40,000 Parkes Cup (1600m), while it’s Monaro Cup say at the Sapphire Coast.
Each venue hosts a $50,000 Super Maiden, over 1400 and 1200 metres respectively.