Trainer Will Clarken is aiming to claim his third victory in the main race at Murray Bridge.
Having previously triumphed with Agreeable in 2022 and Cartoon Graveyard last year, Clarken, who now trains with Charlotte Sorby, is preparing Cicala for the Listed Murray Bridge Gold Cup (1600m) this Saturday. The mare is coming off a recent fourth-place finish in the Listed Balaklava Cup (1600m), marking her first attempt at the distance with Jamie Melham riding. Rochelle Milnes will be resuming her partnership with the five-year-old mare on Saturday.
Cicala initially demonstrated prowess as a short-course specialist, securing wins between 1050m and 1200m. However, with advancing age, she has gradually shown an aptitude for longer races.
“It’s very open and that’s the standard of horse they are,” Clarken remarked. “There doesn’t seem to be anything that is on the way up and we have probably seen their PB’s in life. Air Assault is clearly the best horse in the race, but he has to carry the best horse’s weight all the time because his rating is so high. My mare, I reckon if Jamie had her time again, she would show a bit more urgency out of the gates, and I think she should have run second and made a good fist of the mile. Second time at the mile (on Saturday), she might be a bit more seasoned, and it will be interesting to see if she can find a length or so.”
Milnes will have to contend with barrier 17 for Saturday’s race.
Clarken noted that several horses drawn near his mare possess significant early speed.
“There’s three ways of doing it,” Clarken stated. “We throw caution to the wind and roll forward as the speed is around us. My cousin’s horse, Bootlegger (Dan Clarken), he’ll go forward and the topweight, Air Assault, it’ll roll forward, and all three have drawn out there. We can either go with them, or we grad hold and try and get back in three-wide line with a bit of cover. There is rain predicted and if it does come, that could help horses getting off the rail in the home straight.”
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