SPREYTON trainer Glenn Stevenson set his sights on winning the Simons Design Centre Devonport Cup (1880m) with his stable star Jakcorijim midway through winter last year.
The plan was to run the gallant grey gelding first-up in the state’s most prestigious sprint the Newmarket handicap and then target the two major feature races in the lead-up to today’s $100,000 event.
Jakcorijim ran third in the Newmarket that was beyond expectations and after finishing a luckless sixth in a weight-for-age race the grey gelding went on to win the first Cup lead-up race the Golden Mile (1650m) and followed up at his most recent outings with an effortless win in the last lead-up race the Sheffield Cup, also over 1650 metres.
Today Jakcorijim looks set to give Stevenson his greatest race win as a trainer and all the horse and rider Brendon McCoull seemingly have to do is stay out of trouble to give the battling trainer a home town Cup victory.
Jakcorijim was placed third in last year’s race but that was at the end of a tough campaign that culminated in the Devonport Cup as an after thought rather than a planned target.
“This season we have set about racing the horse with one race in mind – The Devonport Cup,” Stevenson said.
“His first-up run in the Newmarket was enormous and it told me he was ready to win a really big race.”
“I could not be happier with the horse both mentally and physically.”
“I won’t change anything with his work and if he wins then we will have achieved a brilliant result but if he proves not to be the best horse on the day then so be it,” he said.
Only a handful of the opposition stands in the way of the gallant grey capturing the cherished prize.
Victorian gelding Langridge Street from the Michael Hibbs stable at Cranbourne looms as the logical danger given his handy third behind Black ‘N’ Tough and Geegees Blackflash in the weight-for-age Kevin Sharkie Tasmanian Stakes in Hobart on December 21.
Hibbs said Langridge Street had been set for the Devonport Cup some time back after discussing the Tasmanian Summer Racing Carnival options with Tasmanian trainer Tammy Mollross.
Listen to what Michael Hibbs had to say about Langridge Street after his Tasmanian Stakes placing.
Spreyton trainer Adam Trinder has inherited a Cup prospect in Gotta Dream, a six-year-old former in the care of Victorian trainer Frank Conlan.
Gotta Dream has won eight and been placed nine times but has not saluted since March last year, however this time last year he strung together three wins and two minor placings from five starts over a two-month period.
The gelding also has won on the synthetic surface at Geelong.
The main danger to Jakcorijim looks to be the David and Scott Brunton-trained Royal Rapture that comes off a game second to Jakcorijim in the Sheffield Cup on Boxing Day.
It was en encouraging effort and with top hoop Craig Newitt to take the sit today he could challenge Jakcorijim for favoritism.
Red Eagle is the 1880-metre track record holder (1.56.56) and he was third to Jakcorijim last start.
The Devonport Cup is race eight on the nine-event card and is scheduled to start at 5.22 pm.
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