LEON Davies chases a third successive Coonamble Cup on Sunday with unlucky Clever Hans on a day where he will also have a great chance in the $20,000 Baradine Cup.
The Tamworth trainer, who has lightweight Baradine Cup hope Twin Zero fit and ready to fly in the 1300m support race, has won the past two Coonamble Cups with Prussian Secret (2010) and Altonio (2011) and believes six-year-old Clever Hans is a great chance in Sunday’s 1600m $40,000 Coonamble Cup.
“I won the last two with Prussian Secret and Altonio and it would be nice to win a third in a row with Clever Hans,” Davies said yesterday.
“He’s been in good form and trialled well here (Tamworth) the other day.
“He’s been close too.
“He ran second in the South Grafton Cup, the Coffs Cup and the Moree Cup for me and was third in the Dubbo Cup too.
“He needed that hit-out (trial) the other day.”
Clever Hans is owned by Sydney builder Michael Athanasiou.
He gave Clever Hans to Davies to train after looking him up on his website.
In seven starts, Clever Hans has run three fourths, three seconds and a third as well as winning two trials.
“He’s won something like $40,000 this prep without winning a race,” Davies said of the gelding son of Viscount who has seven wins from 39 career starts and more than $165,000 in prizemoney.
It could be a big day for Davies too with Twin Zero – who is having his first start for the trainer after transferring from Luke Griffith’s Scone stable – running in the Baradine Cup.
“I couldn’t be happier with him,” Davies said.
“He’s been working well.
“He should get 54 or 55 in that race and Hannah Martin’s 2kg claim will bring him right into the race.”
Davies hopes Clever Hans, the benchmark top rater with 79 points, won’t receive too much weight in a race where the Graham Payne-trained Kinetics (78) is the next benchmark rated horse.
He was scratched from Sunday’s Cootamundra Cup.
Barraba Cup winner Emotional Outburst (Mark Mason) was also one of the 20 Coonamble Cup nominations yesterday on a day where the Coonamble Jockey Club received 173 nominations for its Cup day program.
Four Coonamble trainers have Cup hopefuls, Robert Lane entering Boldton (52), Peter Finn nominating Find Your Manners (60), Joseph Hodgson entering Orbit (51) and Robbie Harrison with Temperate Prince (70).
Temperate Prince was second to Altonio last year.
He has won 13 times in his career but just one from eight on his home track.
In all, the 20 Coonamble Cup nominees have won 121 races between them.