After coming devastatingly close to bagging another Group 1 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival trophy last weekend, this Saturday in-form Queensland trainer Tony Gollan turns his attention to the 2014 Ipswich Cup with Brave Ali.
Brave Ali looks one of the top chances in Saturday's Ipswich Cup 2014 field. Photo: Daniel Costello.
Gollan has been on fire this season including his Doomben 10,000 victory with Spirit Of Boom at home last month.
He nearly added another elite level to the trophy cabinet last Saturday too with their half-brother Temple Of Boom getting beaten just a nose by River Lad in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).
Now Gollan sends a contingent west of Brisbane this weekend for Ipswich Cup Day including Brave Ali who runs in the day’s marquee race, the $175,000 Listed Channel 7 Ipswich Cup (2150m).
Drawn nicely in barrier seven with apprentice hoop Tegan Harrison, aboard Temple Of Boom for the close Straddie loss, Brave Ali gets into the Ipswich Cup field with 56.5kg.
That’s the second heaviest allocation following the 58kg equal top weights Full Of Spirit and Ironstein will carry.
It’s also half a kilo more than they carried at their latest start when the O’Reilly seven-year-old finished two and a half lengths away third to Pretty Pins in the Group 3 Chairman’s Handicap (2000m) at Doomben on May 10.
They’ve had over a month to freshen-up then with Brave Ali looking to return to their earlier autumn form that saw them win three on the trot including the Listed Tails Stakes (2128m) at Eagle Farm in late April.
The highest-rated horse in the Ipswich Cup line-up this year is then the Peter Moody-trained Full Of Spirit drawn wide in gate 14.
They’ve also been right up there of late, the Flying Spur mare having run a brave second to Cameo in the Listed Scone Cup (1600m) on May 16.
Her latest start was then a third at Rosehill on May 31 over 1800m, the five-year-old carrying 59kg that day giving a full four kilos to the winner Transonic (54kg) and nine kilos to the runner-up Casino Dancer (50kg).
She must handle a step up in distance at Ipswich but she does have previous winning form up to 2000m.
The other 58kg weighted hope as mentioned is Gerald Ryan’s veteran Zabeel eight-year-old Ironstein.
The gallant old galloper ran fourth in the same race Full Of Spirit comes via when carrying 58kg on the back of a seventh in the Scone Cup, Ironstein jumping from barrier six on Saturday with Jason Taylor aboard.
While last year’s Ipswich Cup winner Anagold isn’t in the mix this year, the close 2013 runner-up High Kin returns looking to go one better than 12 months ago.
The High Chaparral mare has the far outside barrier (16) to overcome however and needs to improve on their fourth over the mile at the Sunshine Coast on May 30 to feature in the finish again.
Other horses that come off better lead-up runs meanwhile include the Doug Johnson-trained Carn who was runner-up to Military Move at Toowoomba on June 1, Dienekes who is out to hand last year’s winning trainer Bryan Guy with back-to-back Ipswich Cups and the Michael Moroney-trained Flemington raider Garud.
Check out the full Ipswich Cup 2014 field, barriers, jockeys and weights in the table below.
Our preferred online betting agency Ladbrokes.com.au are set to open their Ipswich Cup betting markets shortly so make sure you’re ready for the action by g up with them today!
2014 Ipswich Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw
Ipswich Race 7 (3:40pm) – 14/06/2014
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Wgt. | H. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x2825x9623 | FULL OF SPIRIT | Peter G Moody | – | 14 | 58kg | 101 |
| 2 | 254665×574 | IRONSTEIN | Gerald Ryan | Jason Taylor | 6 | 58kg | 97 |
| 3 | 12×7151113 | BRAVE ALI (NZ) | Tony Gollan | Tegan Harrison (a) | 7 | 56.5kg | 94 |
| 4 | 9177×06760 | GREY ASSIGNMENT | Brian Smith | Larry Cassidy | 4 | 56.5kg | 94 |
| 5 | 0393161808 | ANGOLA | Pat Carey | Ashley Butler | 12 | 55kg | 88 |
| 6 | 13046×0695 | BRAYROAN (NZ) | Barry A Mitchell | Chris Munce | 11 | 55kg | 76.5 |
| 7 | x691892x12 | CARN | Doug Johnson | Ms Laura Cheshire | 3 | 55kg | 83 |
| 8 | 242560×352 | CATALONIA | Len Treloar | – | 15 | 55kg | 73 |
| 9 | 435318×832 | DIENEKES | Bryan Guy | Janette K Johnson (a) | 1 | 55kg | 84 |
| 10 | 356046×033 | GARUD (IRE) | Michael Moroney | Michael Cahill | 13 | 55kg | 88 |
| 11 | x121198x13 | HIGH AIMS | David Brideoake & David Feek | Dwayne Dunn | 2 | 55kg | 83 |
| 12 | 92200×9594 | HIGH KIN (NZ) | Stewart Mackinnon | Eddie Wilkinson | 16 | 55kg | 87 |
| 13 | 0181265886 | NOISY OCEAN | Bryan Guy | Jim Byrne | 5 | 55kg | 83 |
| 14 | 669×002237 | SAM’S TOWN | Robert Heathcote | – | 10 | 55kg | 72.5 |
| 15 | 21×3533030 | STELLA LANTE | John Hyam | Ric McMahon | 8 | 55kg | 81 |
| 16 | 424324×093 | VOLKHERE | Robert Heathcote | Timothy Bell | 9 | 55kg | 84 |
