EMOTIONAL Outburst might be the top rater for this Monday’s $40,000 Pat Behn Wall Memorial Coonabarabran Cup (1600m) but the Barraba Cup winner is only a 50-50 chance of starting in the feature, according to his Tamworth trainer.
The gelding was one of 16 nominations for the Cup yesterday and, with a benchmark rating of 73, topped his fellow Cup entrants.
However, Tamworth trainer Mark Mason is yet to decide whether Emotional Outburst will take his place in the field and “had a blood taken” yesterday.
“We took a blood off him today and see how he goes,” Mason said yesterday.
“I’m not 100 per cent about him.
“It would be nice to get an inch of rain on the track but I’ve been looking at the weather maps and it all looks like being clear.
“His work has been good enough and everything seems right there but it’s going to be tough with a bit of weight and a hard track.
“I don’t like horses carrying big weights on hard tracks.
“To be truthful, I think he’s only a 50-50 chance of running.”
Emotional Outburst won the recent Barraba Cup (1400m) by eight lengths and then was beaten less than a length when fourth to Clever Hans in the Coonamble Cup (1600m).
Mason’s intention was to run in the Coonamble, Coonabarabran and Muswellbrook Cups but that might be unlikely now.
“That was my original intention,” Mason said.
“Whether we miss the Coona Cup and just start at Muswellbrook now I don’t know.
“I want to spell him at some stage and come back for some nice cups at Inverell (January 1), Quirindi (February) and the 1900m Armidale Cup.
“If we run at Coona and Muswellbrook then we mightn’t have enough time to spell him and bring him back.
“I’ll wait and see what the blood is and go from there.”
COONABARABRAN CUP NOMS
* Benchmark ratings listed where available
All Again 58 (Lesley Jeffriess), Antidotes (Garry Lunn), Are You Sure 63 (Cameron Crockett), Bass Rock (Brett Cavanough), Conch 69 (Mark Milton), Counterspy 69 (Campbell Roberts), Emotional Outburst 73 (Mark Mason), Flash Academy 52 (Clint Lundholm), Kalkie Miss (Wayne Martyn), Kwilas Law 65 (Luke Griffith), Lancelot 61 (Max Crockett), Old Jimmy 60 (Jane Clement), Our Heart 56 (Peter Stanley), Relentless Lad 62 (Clint Lundholm), Temperate Prince 70 (Robbie Harrison), The Early Bird 51 (Gavin Groth).