Cody Morgan knows horses. And he also knows how to deliver a good sound byte.
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This week he headed to Randwick for his third crack at the Country Championships Final. His chance in the race, four-year-old gelding Ligulate, was second favourite behind Bobbing, but is not the reserved type.
"Once he [Ligulate] goes out on the track, it's sort of up to the jockey," Morgan said on Thursday. "But for the next two days it's like looking after the naughtiest kid in the classroom."
... it's like looking after the naughtiest kid in the class.
- Cody Morgan
Morgan's previous tilts at the Final were with Pelerin in 2017 and Unbiased last year - the latter's sixth place the best result in a race now worth $400,000, instead of $500,000, because of COVID-19.
Morgan said: "At the back of my mind, no Tamworth horse has ever won a Final, and I'd love to be the first one. If you can win the first one, that would be quite amazing. So, there is a job there to do."
Ligulate, who has four wins and six placings from 21 starts, was an impressive winner at the H&NWRA Country Championships Qualifier at Tamworth last month.
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Samantha Clenton rode him then, but will not be in Sydney on Saturday because she chose to work only in the northern region under new restrictions imposed by Racing NSW to combat COVID-19.
Instead, James McDonald will pilot Ligulate in the Final - having steered the horse to victory in a benchmark 70 at Warwick Farm in March last year. Ligulate, the early race favourite for the Final, has drawn barrier 18.
Morgan said: "I was probably a bit more confident before the barrier draw ... but you've got to play the cards you're dealt."
He added: "We have arguably one of the best jockeys in Australia riding him ... I think he'll run well. Bobbing is an exceptional horse ... but we've got as good a chance as any, I think."
The Bernie Kelly-trained Bobbing, to be ridden by Koby Jennings, has drawn 17. However, Morgan believes the wide barrier is less of a hindrance to Bobbing than it is to Ligulate, given the former "races right back, anyway".
