MARK Taylor might have a surprise or two up his training sleeve when the Walcha Cup Carnival kicks up Friday and Saturday.
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While he knows the track will be a good racing surface because of the irrigation it has received during what has been our dryest January on record he knows the track will be hard.
The Walcha trainer is also hoping Medal Of Glory can finish a touch stronger than he did when he was third to Border Flight at Tamworth last Friday.
He thought he was a realistic chance of winning about 200m out but his gelding couldn’t match the strong finishing burst from the Sue Grills trained Border Flight to finish fourth.
“He’ll run in the 1700m up home,” Mark Taylor told The Leader Friday.
He won’t be the only stable representative eithre.
“Kaliharia Kisses wil have a run too,” taylor advised.
“She hasn’t run for three years not since she finished fourth in the Maiden.”
Kalihari Kisses ran fourth to Komodo Blue in a strong Ron Martin Memorial Maiden in 2011, the Grant Marshall-trained mare going on to win in Brisbane after that Maiden success.
However Kalihara Kisses went to the paddock and has had a long rest.
“She’s grown up,” Mark Taylor added.
“She might surprise a lot of people though.”
He ahs nominated her for the Ron Martin Memorial Maiden (Friday) as well Saturday’s 1000m Benchmark 45 handicap.
That’s one of the delights of the Walcha Cup meeting.
There is always the chance of a long priced betting plunge.
Just ask former Gunnedah trainer Les Roberts, Scone’s Jim Gleeson and Tamworth’s Paul St Vincent.
Roberts and Gleeson loved setting their horses for long priced plunges at the two-day carnival while St Vincent won the 1994 Maiden with big and burly Lady Grosve.
Last year Medal Of Glory won the Tamac Stud Class 3 Handicap (1440m) for Mark and his father Geoff Taylor.
They own and operate the Tamac Stud.
It was an emotional win when Medal Of Glory sat wide but finished powerfully to win.
While Friday’s meeting attracted 141 nominations Saturday’s five-race non-TAB meeting drew 72.
Feature race there is The Nivison, a benchmark 50 handicap over 1400m named in honour of the late Simon Nivison, a former long-serving club president and father of current president Jim.
