Sydney jockey Tim Clark has no doubt the Gai Waterhouse-trained Queenstown will handle a sharp rise in distance in Thursday’s $150,000 Grafton Cup.
The four-year-old mare, by Stratum out of the Zabeel mare Regal Heights, is one of two runners from the Waterhouse stable along with Travolta who will be ridden by Tim Bell in the 2350m Listed feature.
Queenstown has had two preparatory runs over 1400m and 1600m to ready her for the Cup and Clark says her trainer has a proven record in stepping horses up quickly in distance.
“Gai has done it before with success,” Clark said.
“Queenstown is looking for the trip now.
“I rode her in an exhibition gallop at Rosehill last Saturday and she worked real nice over 1200m with a mate.
“She is a mare that has hardly missed a place throughout her career and she’ll present fit and well.
“She has got good tactical speed to put herself into the race early.”
Queenstown is coming off a first-up third to Tromso over 1400m at Rosehill on May 31 followed by a closing fifth to Kingdoms in the Centenary Mile at Eagle Farm on June 21.
The mare showed last campaign she could stay with an excellent third in the Zipping Classic (2400m) at Caulfield during the spring.
Clark rides a lot of trackwork for Waterhouse and believes he is a far more accomplished rider since he returned from Hong Kong 15 months ago.
He rode 53 winners during a 20-month stay in Hong Kong.
“Gai has been good to me and rewarded me with some good rides, like Queenstown,” Clark said.
“We’ve had a bit of success together.”
While Queenstown marks Clark’s first ride in the Grafton Cup he did finish runner-up on Captain Bax in the 2008 Ramornie Handicap at Grafton.
The Cup has been robbed of some lustre with six scratchings – Permit, Mulaqen, Grey Assignment, High Kin, Brave Ali and last year’s winner Mr O’Ceirin – but still shapes as a competitive race.