| Race 7 – 3:53PM GRAFTON CUP (2350 METRES) |
|---|
| Of $150,000.1st $90,000, 2nd $30,000, 3rd $15,000, 4th $7,500, 5th $3,000, 6th $1,500, 7th $1,500, 8th $1,500, Starter Subsidy $200 LISTED Quality, Minimum Weight 54kg, Apprentices cannot claim.Field Limit: 16 + 4 EM |
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100×027259 | MR O’CEIRIN (NZ) | Ciaron Maher | Blake Shinn | 17 | 59kg | 103 | |
| 2 | 81221234×7 | TRAVOLTA (NZ) | Gai Waterhouse | Timothy Bell | 13 | 59kg | 103 | |
| 3 | 2811865654 | PERMIT (GB) | Chris Waller | 18 | 58kg | 101 | ||
| 4 | x715111312 | BRAVE ALI (NZ) | Tony Gollan | Tegan Harrison (a) | 4 | 56.5kg | 98 | |
| 5 | 3355×73361 | SECESSIO (GB) | Chris Waller | Tye Angland | 9 | 56.5kg | 98 | |
| 6 | 001230×002 | HOYLONNY | Chris Waller | Jason Collett | 5 | 56kg | 97 | |
| 7 | 4665×57445 | IRONSTEIN | Gerald Ryan | Paul Hammersley | 2 | 54.5kg | 94 | |
| 8 | x779951343 | PRETTY PINS (NZ) | John P Thompson | Ryan Wiggins | 12 | 54kg | 96 | |
| 9 | 1x22123x35 | QUEENSTOWN | Gai Waterhouse | Tim Clark | 7 | 54kg | 95 | |
| 10 | 177×067603 | GREY ASSIGNMENT | Brian Smith | 10 | 54kg | 90 | ||
| 11 | 65411×0543 | MULAQEN (GB) | Chris Waller | Brenton Avdulla | 19 | 54kg | 90 | |
| 12 | 168×070440 | WAZN (IRE) | Tony Newing | Paul King | 1 | 54kg | 92 | |
| 13 | 8126588621 | NOISY OCEAN | Bryan Guy | Jim Byrne | 8 | 54kg | 88 | |
| 14 | 6046×03356 | GARUD (IRE) | Michael Moroney | Glen Boss | 11 | 54kg | 87 | |
| 15 | 200×959484 | HIGH KIN (NZ) | Stewart Mackinnon | 14 | 54kg | 84 | ||
| 16 | 51642×7931 | MULLET MAN | Ruth Cooper | Glenn Lynch | 16 | 54kg | 69 | |
| 17e | 5252632194 | PHRASES | Bindi Cheers | Matthew Paget | 15 | 54kg | 83 | |
| 18e | 11×8818613 | ONGOING VENTURE | Darlene Duryea | 6 | 54kg | 73 | ||
| 19e | 8×05013253 | SAMSILI | Philip Minter | 3 | 54kg | 55 |
In the news:
Veteran stayer Ironstein gets the chance to add the Listed Grafton Cup to his record at what may or may not be his final start.
Trainer Gerald Ryan is pleased with the eight-year-old heading into Thursday’s Cup (2350m) which has been slated as his swan song.
But Ryan said there might still be more to come.
“It’s not set in cement that the Grafton Cup will be his last race,” Ryan said.
“If the owners decide to keep going then that’s what we will do.
“He is in good order and we’ll see what happens later this week.”
Ryan said rain on race day thwarted Ironstein’s bid to win the recent Caloundra Cup, four years after he claimed his first stakes success in the Sunshine Coast feature.
He has since taken his earnings beyond $1 million and although not among the elite stayers, Ironstein has performed well at his only two starts at Group One level, running fourth in the 2011 Metropolitan and fourth again last year.
He finished fifth in this year’s Caloundra Cup won by Brayroan.
There are 19 acceptors for Thursday’s Grafton Cup which has a capacity field of 16.
Last year’s winner Mr O’Ceirin has drawn poorly in 17 as he makes his way home to Victoria after a mixed Queensland winter campaign.
His four starts yielded Group Two seconds in the Hollindale Stakes behind Streama and the Eagle Farm Cup won by Moriarty, as well as two unplaced runs including his ninth in the Caloundra Cup.
Blake Shinn takes the ride at Grafton while Paul Hammersley, who won the 2002 Queensland Oaks as an apprentice on the Ryan-trained Mon Mekki, is aboard Ironstein who jumps from gate two.
There are 13 scheduled runners in Wednesday’s Listed Ramornie Hcp (1200m) with Scone trainer Rod Northam and champion jockey Robert Thompson to join forces again with early favourite Big Money.
The trainer/jockey combination was successful on Sunday, winning the South Grafton Cup with Myamira.
After an unlucky second behind Cape Kidnappers in the Listed Lightning Hcp (1000m) at Eagle Farm, Big Money turned the tables on the Queensland speedster in the Group Three Healy Stakes.
