Jazz Cafe is led in after winning the Gr 3 Winter Fillies Stakes (Picture: Race Coast)
Robbie Hill, Frank Robinson, Stuart Ferrie, Peter Muscutt and Lucinda Woodruff spoke during the week about their chances on World Pool Gold Cup day on Sunday.
Robbie and Shannon Hill have a runner in the Gr 3 World Pool Gold Cup over 3200m, a race Robbie won twice as a jockey in the days when it was a Gr 1 and was arguably the second most prestigious race in the country after the July.
A horse who wins its first attempt at a staying race always has room for improvement in long distance races, because the connections can approach the next race with a touch more confidence and such could be the case with the Hill-trained Canford Cliffs five-year-old mare Jazz Cafe, who had taken a leap in trip from 1600m up to 2000m when finishing second in the Listed IOS Insider East Coast Cup over 2000m and she then took another big step up to 2400m and won the Gr 3 Lucky Fish Winter Fillies Stakes, beating SA Derby winner Curious Girl.
Robbie said, “If we don’t try we don’t know. She switches off nicely and won the Oaks (Winter Stakes) well. It’s the first time she is going this sort of trip and once again we don’t know, but we’ve got a ticket and we’ve thus got a chance.”
Robbie famously did the July/Gold Cup double in 1999, winning the former on the Geoff Woodruff-trained El Picha and the latter on the Pat Shaw-trained Place Of Gold. He won the Gold Cup again in 2003 on the Dennis Drier-trained Highland Night.
He said, “One of my favourite races to ride, funnily enough, was the Gold Cup, I loved riding in it.”
He said about the secret to success in the iconic staying race, “You need your horse to switch off, that’s the first part, and then if you get the pace right Bob’s your uncle!”
He continued, “Our filly switches off and hopefully she can do the work up the straight.”
He concluded, “She has been doing well.”
Frank Robinson runs the Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup winner Mocha Blend in the Gr 2 Bet With The World Gold Bracelet, in which she unfortunately has to carry a welter burden of 63kg and she has a wide draw.
He said, “The July was obviously a very slow pace and she came into the straight with too much to do, but her fractions from 400m to finish weren’t bad actually, they were the same as Wish List’s. We will need a bit of luck from her draw on Sunday (12 out of 13), we will have to try and get her in halfway. She is classy and she has taken her July run well and her work has been very good, so I’m hoping. The weight is obviously going to be an issue. But let’s see what happens.”
Stuart Ferrie sends out Gladatorian to defend his Gr 1 wfa HKJC Champions Cup title and he also runs Rafeef two-year-old filly Menagerie in the Gr 2 World Pool with Race Coast Debutante over 1200m.
He said about the six-year-old Vercingetorix gelding Gladatorian, who is drawn two in the HKJC Champions Cup over 1800m and has Sean Veale back aboard after finishing five lengths off them in the July, an identical run to last year, “He is doing as well as he was last year. He is a tough horse and has had no issues post race.”
He said about Menagerie, “Her middle draw is tricky because you don’t know whether you want to make it or drop her in. We are up in class but her form is good and we will see where we are.”
Peter Muscutt runs July fifth-placed Isivivane in the Listed Tote Stakes over 1600m and he runs St. Harry (Harry’s Angel) and Bennie and Paul (Querari) in the Gr 2 World Pool Bet With Tote Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m.
He said, “Isivivane has come out of the July in perfect order. Obviously it is never easy going from 2200m back to a mile, but I have freshened him up as well as possible. He is awkwardly drawn (8 out of 14), so we are going to have to use his natural gatespeed to overcome it. He is ready to run to the top of his game.”
He continued, “Benny And Paul has come through his impressive maiden win in great order. He is still a little on the immature side and I think all the best still lies in front of him. However, he’s got good natural gatespeed and he’s reasonably well drawn, so he should get a very good run in transit and if he’s good enough he will be competitive.”
He added, “St. Harry is a horse loaded wit talent. He does have some wind concerns (and wears a tongue tie). He probably did need his return. Dropping him back to 1200m I don’t foresee as a problem. If the wind issues don’t kick in during the run, he should be right there as well.”
Lucinda Woodruff runs former Post Merchants winner Cafe Culture in the Gr 1 wfa Mercury Sprint over 1200m and she said, “He’s got a wide draw, but he is in a good space and loves the course. Callan will have to navigate him from the draw. He was caught out when going forward in the Post Merchants last time, so we will drop him out this time and run on.”
