After taking out last years running of the Garrard's Horse & Hound Tamworth City Cup seven-year-old gelding Gottashopearly showed he still had the stamina to take home a winner's cheque in the 2020 running of the feature race.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Trained by Jake Mitchell it was a boost for the young Wyee trainer who was producing his second career winner as a trainer after engaging the services of Sydney reinsman Leigh Sutton.
"We got rolling early and he is a great horse out in front - to the horse's credit he was too tough for them," Sutton said.
"We will be happy that we got this one - the horse has been a grand old horse - he is just a machine."
Gottshopearly went to the lead from the three barrier, setting a nice tempo with quarters in 30.7 seconds; 31.7 seconds; 28.9 seconds and 28.2 seconds.
"Sometimes his form looks worse than it actually is," Sutton said.
"If he can find the top around here it is nearly game set and match -he beat some nice horses then."
READ ALSO:
Gottashopearly had a 6.3 metre victory over this year's The Pub Group Gold Nugget winner in Royal Gamble (Jack Callaghan) and Bathurst pacer Fouroeight from the Mat Rue stables.
"I won a race on him (Gottashopearly) at Menangle over the long trip and he was in front then - he just does the job," Sutton said.
"He has taken me on a journey this horse. We finished third in an Echuca Cup and it is a nice reward for the owners."
Gottashopearly has had 18 career wins and 24 placings and was enjoying his first race start since racing at Bankstown in August last year.
After winning last year's Tamworth City Cup with a mile rate of 2.01.1 for the 2360m, the Rocknroll Hanover-Saabette gelding clocked a mile rate of 2.00.5 for the same distance in the 2020 running.
He has an with the Tamworth Paceway after being crowned the 2018/19 Horse of the Year at Tamworth.
