LONELY Orphan is chasing a Grafton Cup start, but to realise that lofty ambition the mare must win a couple of good races, said the horse’s veteran Tamworth trainer Lesley Jeffriess.
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As such, Jeffriess has Lonely Orphan set for Sunday’s $30,000 Hopefuel Gunnedah Gold Cup (1600m).
The four-year-old daughter of Domesday drew well in barrier five for the feature race. She will carry Matthew Paget and the light weight of 54kg.
“She’s coming back from the 2000m at Scone,” Jeffriess said.
“Just nothing on for her. She’s only a Class 3 horse but she’s so high up in the benchmark ratings it makes it tough finding races for her without going to Sydney.
“I haven’t done a lot with her since Scone either.”
In the 2200m Benchmark 78 in Scone, Lonely Orphan finished about six lengths from the winner, Lautaro.
“I’ve freshened her up and brought her back to the mile,” Jeffriess said. “She’s got to win a couple more to get a Grafton Cup run (in July).”
Winning the Gunnedah Gold Cup would be a good start towards achieving that.
It’s what her father’s great horse, Akwazoff, did in 1997 when he won the first of his three Gunnedah Gold Cups and then went on to win a Grafton Cup later in the preparation.
The Gunnedah Jockey Club have named a number of races on Sunday’s program after legends, such as Quirindi trainer Bill “Bot” Thompson, who rode 13 winners from 14 successive races as a teenage apprentice in 1955.
They have also acknowledged former owner and club official John Clift, Harry Konz, Frank Gallen and sprinting sensation River Ridge on Sunday’s seven-race card.
For Jeffriess, the chance to win the Gunnedah Gold Cup is one link to Akwazoff.
The other is Sunday’s $20,000 XXXX Gold Akwazoff Benchmark 55 (2050m), where she has Husonique entered.
Husonique drew barrier four in that staying test and Jeffriess hopes her five-year-old gelding son of Husson is up to the task. “He ran a real good race at Gunnedah over the 1400m the other day (last Thursday) and Peter Graham said he thought he’d like a bit extra ground,” she said.