Emotion will be riding high with young Hawkesbury trainer Jason Attard on his home track’s biggest day (on Saturday).
Whilst Attard naturally would like to win the $200,000 Group 3 Panthers Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) with stable star Sons Of John for a second successive year, victory in a supporting event would be even more satisfying to him.
And it’s understandable why he would treasure landing the Richmond Club Provincial Stayers Championship (2100m) with Reiby The Red.
The four-year-old is raced by Hawkesbury Race Club director Syd Kelly and his wife Carolyn, and the pair has been Attard’s greatest supporters.
“Syd is doing it pretty tough at present,” Attard explained.
“He has a battle on his hands with a health problem and to compound that, Carolyn is in hospital with a separate issue.
“I doubt I would be training if it wasn’t for Syd and Carolyn. They gave me an opportunity and I would dearly love to repay them by winning this race.
“I’m sure Reiby The Red will run well, but I just wish we had more rain as he really likes heavy ground.”
Reiby The Red’s only success from 11 starts to date was on a heavy track in a 1600m Maiden at Hawkesbury in July last year.
He has been placed at two of his last three starts, including a recent third to Doc Holliday in the 2000m Prelude on his home track on April 14.
Jeff Penza partners Reiby The Red and also Sons Of John, who is tackling the Hawkesbury Gold Cup without a lead-up run.
Though he has been placed twice first-up previously (including a photo-finish second to Winx in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes, 1300m at Rosehill Gardens last September), this will be no easy assignment over 1600m against a capacity field.
Attard stressed he had not purposely set his gelding to successfully defend his Cup title.
“The two runs he had in Melbourne last spring took a bit out of him, and he was galloped on in the Emirates Stakes at Flemington in early November at his last run,” he said.
“As a result, he needed a longer spell than what I would have preferred because we wanted to have a crack at the Doncaster Mile with him.
“But he just wasn’t ready.
“I have given him three trials, but he was ordinary in his second trial (on March 29) and there was no way I would have taken him to the races on that.
“His third trial (he beat Cup rival Ecuador over 1200m at Warwick Farm on April 15) was much better, and he is ready to race.
“But I have no doubt that whatever he does tomorrow (Saturday), he will take improvement from it. He’ll most likely go to the Scone Cup in a fortnight.”
Attard said he was considering a Brisbane winter carnival trip with Sons Of John, but said nothing had been set in concrete.
“We might even look ahead to the spring and have another shot at the Epsom (Sons Of John ran third to Winx in last year’s edition).”
Attard also has second emergency Kellyville Flyer in the Cup, and also the Fishboy Seafoods Benchmark 77 Handicap (1500m), for which she has drawn the outside barrier.
“She will run in the latter race if she misses out on a Cup start as I also want to run her next in the Scone Cup,” Attard said.
– Racing NSW
