TAMWORTH apprentice William Morris chases two cups with topweighted gallopers in Tamworth and Bingara over the next two days.
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The 2kg-claiming Morris rides topweight Astrolobe for Armidale trainer Stafford Wain in the Uralla Produce Country Music Cup (1200m) at Tamworth today while partnering topweighted Don’t Waste Words for Moree trainer Peter Sinclair in tomorrow’s H. R. Munro Memorial Memorial Cup (1200m) at Bingara.
Astrolobe was rated a 6-1 chance overnight in a race dominated in the betting by the resuming On A High (2-1 fav).
Mack Griffith’s Vellour was second favourite at 4-1 with Astrolobe, a last start winner at Canterbury, the third favourite.
“He should go all right,” Morris said.
“He comes into the race well.
“ And Don’t Waste Words will go well Saturday too.
“I rode him from behind when he won the Deepwater Cup a couple of weeks ago.”
Morris rates the Kevin Ayton-trained On A High as the horse to beat in today’s Country Music Cup.
Kevin Ayton, trainer of On A High, is also chasing a cup double.
He will start Permaco in tomorrow’s $7000 Bingara Cup.
The Bingara Cup has attracted a seven-horse field with four apprentices engaged.
Mitchell Bell rides Rush Attack for Mark Mason, Paula Heath is on board Ruth Cooper’s Shiny Boots and Cody Morgan takes the reins on Permaco for Ayton.
Morris backs up his Cup mount with three other rides at Bingara – Caribbean Princess, Driveway and Misbiti.
Today, he partners not only Astrolobe in the Country Music Cup but Okay Corral for the Tim Martin stable and Sports Affair for Wayne Smyth.
“Sports Affair ran third at Scone last start and has been working good,” the 19-year-old apprentice said.
“And Okay Corral played up at Tamworth when he had his first start.
“We’ve been doing a bit of work with him at the barriers and hopefully he’ll go all right.
“If everything goes right he should be hard to beat.”
Martin’s Tamworth foreman Craig Martin said the handicapper also believed Okay Corral goes well.
“The handicapper thinks he goes all right. He gave him 57.5kg for running fourth at his only start,” he said.
“He’ll be stuck with that weight for the rest of his career now.”
Martin has Enchanted Spider engaged in the Country Music Cup with Cody Morgan aboard.
Martin isn’t con fident about the chances of the Nick Moraitis-owned galloper, a 25-1 chance.
“His last start was over 2000m,” Martin said.
“He only arrived the other night from Sydney so I can’t see him being much of a show.”
URALLA PRODUCE COUNTRY MUSIC CUP MARKET: 2-1 ON A HIGH, 4 Vellour, 6 Astrolobe, Tiercer, 8 Grey Flash, 10 Hula Dancer, Mocka’s Handout, 14 Time To Tell, 25 Speedline, Cloudy Way, Enchanted Spider.