LAST season’s top two-year-old Grand Tycoon gets his chance to break back into the winner’s circle after finishing a game third in the 3YO Carrick Vase over 1100m in Hobart two weeks ago.
Grand Tycoon carried 61.5 kilograms last start but the game gelding succumbed to the impost and was beaten almost 2-1/2 lengths by Geegees Velvet.
It was always going to be hard to place Grand Tycoon given his impressive seven wins from eight starts record as a two-year-old but his trainer Barry Campbell has been able to find this race for him, the Clarence Cup (race five) over 1100m at Tattersall’s Park in Hobart today, where he gets plenty of weight relief.
He steps up enormously in class to an open handicap with a couple of the state’s best performed sprinters engaged but the handicapper allotted him 54.5 kg and Campbell has elected to put in-form apprentice Georgie Catania aboard and her claim gets him into the race varying only 52.5 kg.
Grand Tycoon has been ridden throughout his racing career by Brendon McCoull who gets aboard the David and Scott Brunton-trained Punctuate that is fourth-up[ and has been racing against the cream in good races this time in.
Isibaeva from the Ian Hay stable has a great first-up record and she comes of successive wins last preparation, with her victory two starts back in a weight-for-age fillies and mares race in Launceston over 1400m one of her career best efforts.
Snippetee Bee could not have been more impressive in winning an open handicap in Hobart in slow going eight weeks ago but she goes well fresh and she only has to bring her A game to be very hard to beat.
Throw in last season’s Tasmanian three-year-old of the year Mister John that is first-up from a spell and we have the makings of a brilliant race.