Toowoomba gelding Scrabble has produced what his trainer described as a "crackin' run" to win the $37,000 Inverell Cup (1400m) on New Year's Day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Piloted by Sunshine Coast hoop Gary Geran, the seven-year-old grey beat Inverell-based trainer Shane Edmonds' Free Billy (Matthew McGuren) by a length and a half.
The Jane Clement-trained Desert Marshal (Belinda Hodder) was another length away in third place.
Read also:
Scrabble's trainer, Matt Kropp, said: "It was just a crackin' run, and I think the race went perfect to suit him.
"He's obviously a good horse fresh. And the barrier (one) suited him perfect.
"So, he was able to use the gate and plenty of hot speed on, and he just showed a nice turn of foot as they straightened."
In his previous start, Scrabble - who carried 58 kilograms in the Inverell Cup - won the Texas Cup on December 7.
The Inverell Cup was his second run back after a 15-week spell. The son of Nom Du Jeu (New Zealand) now has 10 wins from 48 starts, with 15 minor placings.
Scrabble paid $15 (TAB) for winning the Inverell Cup.
Kropp said Scrabble missed the start in the Texas Cup (1200m) but still won in a new track record.
"So we were rapt [about the Inverell Cup win]. Second run for us," he said, adding: "The Texas run put the writing on the wall for us, and we expected him to go well [at Inverell].
"But being only Texas, it's probably a bit hard to line the form up ... He'd been consistent. We thought he might've made a good country Cups horse.
"He can get a trip. But he's still been able to win, you know, provincial races - sort of 1200m and 1300m and 1400m ... And he's been competitive up to a mile."
Kropp said Geran had "ridden for our stables for years, and he always does a terrific job".
He described "as super" Geran's performance aboard Scrabble.
"And he [Scrabble] got a run behind a couple of leaders and he rolled out and he got a gap between a couple of the leaders and soon shot clear, showed a great turn of foot and put 'em away quite easily, actually, and he run the track record."
The Inverell Cup was the highlight of an eight-race TAB meeting.
