YOUTHFUL Jack and Single Spirit ensure Taree trainer Ross Stitt has his best chance of winning an $80,000 Carlton Mid Tamworth Cup (1400m) on Sunday.
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The two talented gallopers – at different ends of their careers – will run in Sunday’s Cup, the coastal trainer confirmed to The Leader Tuesday night.
“They will both definitely start,” Stitt said. “All things being equal.
“There’s no other real place for Youthful Jack to race in the country (races). It’s a quality race out there (maximum 62kg).
“He had a trial with Single Spirit this morning and both worked very well. They went to the line together.
“That was very encouraging for both of them.”
Youthful Jack won last year’s Ramornie Handicap for Stitt in a marvellous 69-race career that has yielded 18 wins and $1.142million in prizemoney.
More recently, he was was down south in Tasmania again for some big races where he has had plenty of success in the past.
Single Spirit, who won the recent 1400m Guyra Cup at Armidale for Stitt and his big local syndicate, has had just the 17 starts for six wins.
The four-year-old gelding son of Not A Single Doubt went to Brisbane after winning the Guyra Cup and finished fourth to Buakaw in a race where Leon Davies’ Kurtley ran third.
Single Spirit trialled at Port Macquarie on April 12 and has Stitt excited about his prospects in not only Sunday’s Cup but his immediate future.
“He’s a very nice horse,” he said.
“They went together this morning but will have a big turnaround in the weights on Sunday.”
Robert Thompson will ride Single Spirit in Sunday’s Cup while Scott Thurlow has been rewarded for his great support to the stable in recent years with the Youthful Jack ride.
“Yeah, Scotty will ride him in the Cup,” he said.
“He’s probably ridden him once for me but has ridden a lot of work on him and deserves the chance to ride him.”
Yesterday, Youthful Jack received equal topweight of 61kg while Single Spirit received 54kg but is equal eighth in order of entry with Craig Martin’s Walcha Cup winner Jefferson Park.
Just five horses were weighted above the 54kg minimum.
Star Of Octagonal and Youthful Jack, a son of Erin Park Stud’s Youthful Legs, received 61kg, Grant Allard’s Loaded has 58kg, Greg Bennett’s Jet Style 56kg and Desleigh Forster’s Easy Running 54.5kg.
However Jet Style won’t run on Sunday, said Bennett, of a gelding who will instead run at Randwick on Saturday with stablemate Kaypers .