DEVONPORT trainer Mark Ganderton has set his sights on wining his home town cup and he looks set to take a two-pronged and he looks set to take a two-pronged attack into the $100,000 race at Tapeta Park on January 11.
Ganderton doubled his chances of winning the Devonport Cup when his lightly raced gelding Catwen Boy ($9.30) stormed home to win the Golden Mile over 1650 metres at Tapeta Park.
The winner of the Golden Mile receives ballot free entry into the Devonport Cup so the five-year-old will make the most of that condition, while Ganderton’s other Devonport Cup hopeful Gea Force also won yesterday.
However the trainer is targeting the Sheffield Cup on December 18 as Gea Force’s entre into the Devonport Cup (1880m) as that race also boasts ballot free entry for the winner.
Catwen Boy has only recently returned to Ganderton’s stable after a stint in Victoria.
“We sent the horse to Melbourne to try and get his rating up,” Ganderton said.
“He ran three seconds and a fourth but his rating went down two points – work that out.”
“When we brought him home, we knew the only way to get him in to the cups was to win these ballot-free races,” he said.
Ganderton is confident Catwen Boy will run out a strong 2200 metres so he could apply the two-day back-up fort Catwen Boy and run him in the Brighton Cup over 2100m tomorrow (Sunday).
The Brighton Cup winner gains ball-free entry into the AAMI Hobart Cup to be run on February 12 over 2200m.
Yesterday’s Golden Mile win was outstanding with Catwen Boy (Ronan Keogh) coming from near last to score from the fast-finishing Beven Heights and Clan McLeod.
Gea Force led all the way to win the Benchmark 68 Handicap over 1350m, defeating Teller and Toughtee.