3 minute read

Tough front runner Samadoubt could earn an iron horse tag if he takes on next week’s $180,000 Albury Gold Cup.

The Sydney-trained gelding won last Sunday’s $200,000 Canberra Cup and is set to back up at Rosehill on Saturday in the $350,000 Sky High Stakes (2000m).

However The Bjorn Baker stable is also looking at the Listed Commercial Club Albury Gold Cup (2000m) on March 22 and has not ruled out giving Samadoubt his third start in 12 days.

“The Albury Cup is on the radar but he is racing first in the Sky High at Rosehill on Saturday," said Baker’s racing manager Jack Bruce.

"We will have to see how he pulls up and then make a decision. We have until next Wednesday when the acceptances are taken for the Albury Cup.”

The weather may play a role in plans for Samadoubt as the Rosehill track is certain to fall into the soft to heavy range over the next 24 hours if the forecast of heavy rain for Sydney is correct.

Samadoubt has won three times from 13 starts on soft and heavy tracks. He recently won on a soft 6 over 1600m at Warwick Farm on February 9 but failed at his next start on a soft 7 in the Parramatta Cup (2000m) at Rosehill before bouncing back on good ground to win the Canberra Cup (2000m).

Randwick trainers Peter and Paul Snowden have also set their sights on the Albury Cup with the consistent Emperor’s Way following his third in last Saturday’s Listed Randwick City Stakes (2000m) won by Hiyaam.

“He will be nominated and we will make a decision after we see the entries,” said Peter Snowden.

The Canberra Cup is expected to provide a number of Albury Cup entries with the second to fifth placegetters – Taikomochi, Almost Court, Domed and Green Sweet - set to join Samadoubt as nominations when they close on Monday.

Almost Court, last year’s Canberra Cup winner, showed a strong return to form with his third placing behind Samadoubt while Green Sweet won the Albury Cup two years ago when trained by Jean Dubois. He is now with Goulburn trainer Danny Williams.

The Gai Waterhouse/Adrian Bott 5YO Taikomochi made a game attempt to run down the front-running Samadoubt in the Canberra Cup when having only his second start in 10 months.

Waterhouse has been trying to win an Albury Cup for more than 12 years but her best results have been last year’s second with Supply And Demand, a third placing with Hippopus in 2016 and fourth with Queenstown in 2015.

Almost Court’s co-trainer Barbara Joseph is also keen to break her Albury Cup drought after more than 25 years of trying to win the richest country cup race in NSW.

Joseph has been a long-time supporter of the Albury carnival but her best Albury Cup result was a second placing with Goodwood in 1999