The team at Ciaron Maher is falling back on past successes to sharpen Strawberry Rock for a return to the winners’ circle in Hobart.
Victory in Sunday’s Group 3 Hobart Cup (2400m) would mark back-to-back successes for Strawberry Rock, who bested old stablemate Promises Kept in the previous edition.
National Assistant Trainer Jack Turnbull from Ciaron Maher Racing revealed Strawberry Rock’s month-long stay at Seven Mile Beach was aimed at injecting pace into his gallop.
Without a win since last year’s Hobart Cup, Strawberry Rock still achieved second in the Listed Mornington Cup during April.
This time in, Strawberry Rock posted a near-identical beating to the Pakenham Cup winner as 12 months ago, and his freshest run saw him miss by 1.7 lengths in the Listed Bagot Handicap (2800m) over 2800m at Flemington on the last day of December.
“We took Strawberry over early just because of the way they are trained over there,” Turnbull said.
“The environment is much easier for them. Last year he was only treading water, and he really came on when he went there with Promises Kept.
“He was racing very dour and we needed to get some speed in his legs and hopefully we’ve done that down there again.”
Turnbull highlighted similarities between Seven Mile Beach’s setup and Cranbourne’s facilities.
“They live in sand yards,” Turnbull said.
“The bush tracks are fantastic, and you have access to the beach. It replicates what we have at Cranbourne to an extent, but it’s deeper sand and you can incorporate wading through the water.”
Ziryab, another from the stable, is also targeting the Sunday Hobart Cup and was dispatched to Seven Mile Beach with Strawberry Rock.
Ziryab got the better of Strawberry Rock at Pakenham and then raced in Tasmania, crossing the line eighth in the Summer Cup (2000m) on January 18 at Hobart.
“He was wide, no cover, keen, and ran poor,” Turnbull said.
“He’s given us no reason to bring him home and his work has been solid from then through to now.
“He’s the pick of the two if he was to get back into the form he was in Melbourne as Strawberry needs to lift a little, and hopefully he does.”
The racing betting markets for the Hobart Cup are heating up, with plenty of options for punters.
The post Maher has two-pronged Hobart Cup attack first appeared on Just Horse Racing.
