Kevin Ferrier has been more than 20 years in his official post and believes Hunter Jack might be one of the best chances in Friday’s $35,000 Elders Walcha Cup (1440m) he’s seen.
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The Walcha Jockey Club secretary thinks the combination of a good barrier draw, good weight and outstanding bush jockey might be just the recipe for a front-running gelding like Hunter Jack to win the feature race.
They will also race on a good track as well for the near $200,000 prizemoney on offer during Cup Day.
Tim Martin, who trains Hunter Jack at his Heritage Park stable at Oakdale, agrees and would love nothing better than to win a Walcha Cup, which has so far eluded him.
“It’s on the bucket list,” he laughed Wednesday while in Tamworth for his daughter’s swimming carnival.
“Love to win a Walcha Cup, haven’t won a Cup, won four or five Ron Martin Memorial Maidens though.”
Seven-year-old gelding Hunter Jack, who won last year’s Armidale Cup, Tim’s sixth win in that event, is primed to run a big race after drawing ideally (5) and receiving 58.5kg from the handicappers.
“Greg Ryan’s also riding him, everything is in his favour,” Tim Martin said.
“Our fingers are crossed.”
Hunter Jack is also owned by Kentucky’s Reg Kemmister.
“We’re from Kentucky too and Reg’s mum went to school with Ron as well,” Tim added.
“So it’s almost the Kentucky kids trying to win a Walcha Cup.”
Kevin Ferrier also thinks Martin might just be in line to win a $20,000 bonus as well.
The WJC has a bonus for Cup day whereby the winner of the Cup and two other races collects the $20,000 Martins Lime and Fertilizer Services Walcha Cup Bonus, an incentive sponsored by Walcha’s Dianne and Cameron Martin.
“Tim’s a real good chance in the Cup with Hunter Jack and also has Lady Selkie in the first and Oti Thelis in the second,” Ferrier added.
Oti Thelis won his last start at Tamworth, breaking his maiden status in stylish fashion to suggest bigger things are in store and has Greg Ryan in the saddle, replacing Yusuke Ichikawa.
Lady Selkie finished third the same day and looks well-placed in her bid to land a first career win.
Both gallopers have trained on, Tim Martin said.
The bonus would be a bonus for Martin but he’d just be happy to win a Walcha Cup and wipe it off his bucket list, which also includes Tamworth and Scone Cup wins.
While he is yet to win a Walcha Cup his brother, Craig has three Cup successes with Sirenese, Mt Rainier and Jefferson Park.
But Craig is unlikely to have a Cup runner after Our Masquerade was listed as a fourth emergency for this year’s feature.
Our Masquerade shapes as a key chance in a 1200m Benchmark 60 Handicap if he does not get a late start into the Cup.
The Tamworth trainer is also launching a dual-pronged assault in the opening maiden with Late and Royal Villa, who had admirers before finishing sixth, beaten 6.3 lengths, in his debut on his home track late last month.