JIM DELANEY is chasing a feature double at Inverell today when he runs Tamworth Cup winner Universal Belief in the $30,000 Fencing North West Sky Gold Inverell Cup (1400m) and Floral Insight in the main support race – the $17,000 HG Munro Memorial Booroomooka Angus Stud Shorts Handicap (1010m).
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And the veteran Taree trainer gives himself a good chance of winning the feature double given the form of both his horses if the track continues to dry out.
“It was a Heavy 10 the other day and had improved to a Heavy 9 today,” Delaney said on Sunday.
“I hope it dries out a bit more although both mine do handle it. Their big weights are a big ask.”
Both his gallopers are topweights. Universal Belief will carry 60kg while Floral Insight has 59kg.
Both will be ridden by Peter Graham, who won the Tamworth Cup aboard Universal Belief back in April and both are owned by Delaney and his wife Cecilia, although long-time friends, Avrill and Athol Miller, also own a share of Universal Belief.
Universal Belief’s first foray into the HNWRA produced a brilliant Tamworth Cup win back in April.
A Casino Beef Week Cup, Maclean Cup and Casino Cup have also followed.
That Universal Belief competes as well as he does with three screws in his knees is an amazing effort.
“He does well,” Delaney laughed of a seven-year-old gelding who has won 11 of 32 starts for he and his wife and the Millers.
“They’ve never seen him race live either,” Delaney said of the Millers.
“They’re going up on Monday and will probably go to the Calcutta. That should be a good night too.”
Universal Belief has “been going terrifically well,” Delaney said.
“He ran a great third in Sydney a couple of starts back. Missed the kick too and was only beaten by a half length.”
Floral Insight, he said, was ultra-impressive in beating a good field at Port Macquarie over 1000m last start.
He started an even-money favourite and carried 58kg in that.
Today he has 59.
“It’s a strong race too,” he said of the Shorts.
“Probably a stronger race than the Cup. There’s a fair few good horses in that.”
Sue Grills has three Shorts runners – Studio Star, Tomcatnaround and Get That Indya but is likely to scratch one.
She also has Usain Prince striving to win back-to-back cups after his brilliant race-record win last year.
