With the quality of stables represented at The Entertainment Grounds at Gosford this Thursday, you’d be forgiven if you thought it was a Saturday metropolitan meeting. Canterbury Park Racecourse is currently being used for quarantine purposes, so the usual Friday night ATC meeting has been transferred to Gosford. Chris Waller, James Cummings, Team Hawkes, Gerald Ryan and Anthony Cummings are just a few of the leading trainers who are heading up the highway with some very strong chances.
The competitive eight-race card kicks off with the Broadwater Insurance Brokers Plate over 1900m and the nation’s leading trainer Chris Waller takes a strong hand with three runners accepted. Perhaps the most interesting Waller horse engaged is the Irish import Yonkers who is second up for the camp following a first-up third at Benalla, and the step up to 1900m looks ideal for the four-year-old Medaglia D’oro gelding.
Rosehill trainer Gerald Ryan has been a model of consistency of late with nine winners (18%) and further 19 placings (56%) from his past 50 runners and his Zoustar mare Zourhea looks handily placed in the Boral Timber Handicap over 1900m. The four-year-old wasn’t far away in the Group 3 Angst Stakes at Randwick on October 12 and gets the services of leading hoop James McDonald from a middle draw on Thursday.
Godolphin trainer James Cummings will also have a hand to play with his Poet’s Voice mare Segalas aiming for three wins on the bounce in the Tasman KB Handicap over 1100m. The four-year-old boasts some very strong form lines including finishing only 1.5 lengths behind boom mare Fasika earlier in the year. Fasika has since gone on to be Group 2 placed and also ran second in the inaugural Silver Eagle at Randwick.
The day wraps up with the Walker Bros Timber And Building Supplies Handicap over 1200m and the iron horse Isorich faces the starter for remarkably the 105th time. The nine-year-old Choisir gelding has been a fantastic money-spinner for connections earning over $630,000 along the way, and heads into this event following a drought breaking win at Wyong on October 20. Grant Buckley sticks with the Wayne Seelin trained galloper and he has drawn well in gate one to get a nice run in transit.
Gates open at 12 midday with the first race scheduled for 1.40pm.