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Blacker confident Glass Warrior is in better form than last year.
Last year's Ladbrokes Launceston Cup winner Glass Warrior has progressed nicely this preparation and she takes good form into this year's assignment with her trainer John Blacker confident the grey mare can do it again in the 2022 Ladbrokes Launceston Cup over 2400m on Wednesday.
"The mare has done really well since her run in the Hobart Cup and goes into the Launceston Cup probably better than she was last year," Blacker said.
"Siggy Carr rode her to win last year's cup and her going back on is a plus."
Carr had to forego the ride on Glass Warrior in the Hobart Cup to ride her own horse Full Knots Ahead, but when the connections of that mare opted not to proceed to the Launceston Cup, Carr was snapped up by Blacker.
"We just thought it was the right move to put Siggy back on having won on her last year and she knows the horse so well.
"She's drawn an ideal gate (7) and there's no doubt she runs her best races on the Mowbray track."
The last horse to win successive Launceston Cups was St Andrews in 2002-03 and he also won the race for the first time in 2000 making him the only modern day three-time winner of the Group 3 event.
At $15 Glass Warrior is clearly the best value in the race.
Victorian trainer Mitch Freedman will be relying on the class factor to enable his former Hong Kong stayer Ho Ho Khan to make a clean sweep of Tasmania's feature cups.
Ho Ho Khan was dominant in winning the Hobart Cup by four lengths 10 days ago and despite the handicapper adding two kilograms to his weight for Wednesday's assignment, Freedman is confident his seven-year-old is up to the task.
"I was very happy with how the horse came through his Hobart Cup run and on Saturday I gave him a gallop on the beach, and he felt great," Freedman said.
"I would have preferred a bit less weight, but I think he is capable of winning with what he has been given."
Ho Ho Khan is chasing the Ladbrokes Double Cups bonus of $100,000 that is attached to the race and payable for any horse that can win the Hobart and Launceston Cups in the same season.
Ho Ho Khan was installed the $2.80 favourite when Launceston Cup markets opened but he has eased to $3.
Ho Ho Khan defeated fellow Victorian In A Twinkling in the Hobart Cup and punters believe the Lindsey Smith-trained six-year-old is capable of turning the tables with his price firming from $4.60 to $4.
The only other interstate invader in the field of 10 is the Symon Wilde-trained Aurora's Symphony that comes off a last-start win in the Colac Cup (2000m) two weeks ago.
The five-year-old is a winner of a benchmark 64 over 2400 metres at Sandown a year ago to the day and Wilde believes the Launceston Cup is an ideal target for his lightly raced stayer that gets into the race on the minimum weight of 54kg.
The Adam Trinder-trained The Risk Factor has captured the imagination of the punters with the Launceston track specialist firming from $5 to $4 to be the second favourite in the field of 10.
The Risk Factor has only been over the 2400-metre circuit once for a long neck second to Encosta Fiorente in a BM76 three months ago, but he has won seven times over 2100m.
"He can stay, and he has very good form in Launceston so that's going to take him a very long way on Wednesday," Trinder said.
"He is a genuine top four contender and hopefully he can go a little bit above my expectations and get a win."
The connections of Devonport Cup and Summer Cup winner White Hawk have opted for a jockey change with apprentice Erica Byrne Burke taking over from Mehmet Ulucinar.
White Hawk finished a half-head third behind Glass Warrior in last year's Launceston Cup and Brakey says the eight-year-old has never raced better this preparation.
Watch Glass Warrior win last year's Ladbrokes Launceston Cup.
Peter Staples tips for Launceston Wednesday:
R1: 1-14-3-2.
R2: 11-2-6-10.
R3: 1-3-12-8.
R4: 3-5-4-1.
R5: 1-4-7-6.
R6: 1-2-4-10.
R7: 6-2-13-8.
R8: 1-3-2-5.
R9: 2-3-1-12.
R10: *1-4-12-2.
Best Bets: R2 Monte Bianco (11) and R10 – Fivefingerdiscount (1).
