Hasta La War looks an ideal Adelaide Cup horse, according to new jockey Dean Holland
Jockey Dean Holland is hopeful Naracoorte-trained stayer Hasta La War can find form ahead of the Adelaide Cup by scoring victory in the Lord Reims Stakes at Morphettville.
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Hasta La War can stamp himself as South Australia’s leading Adelaide Cup contender in the $120,000 Lord Reims Stakes (2600m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
The Naracoorte-trained galloper will be trying to the first local horse since Lloyd Kennewell’s Rialya back in 2012 to win the feature on Monday week, and the Sue Murphy-trained galloper finds himself a $2.30 Lord Reims favourite with Ladbrokes following four scratchings leaving a field of just eight.
The lightly-raced stayer will have a new rider, with Dean Holland replacing apprentice Teagan Voorham who has ridden the horse in seven of his past eight starts.
“My manager pointed the horse out to me about three months ago and said he looks like a real Adelaide Cup-type, and I’ve been watching him pretty closely ever since,’’ Holland said.
“We’d been chasing the ride for a while, so I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to ride him.
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“He’s ultra consistent, I’ll be trying to keep him out of trouble and I think he looks very hard to beat Saturday and a really good Cup chance.”
The opportunity to ride Hasta La War will see Holland chasing a remarkable third Adelaide Cup success in six years.
“I didn’t realise until someone pointed it out to me, but if I could win three Adelaide Cups I would equal Lettsy (legendary jockey John Letts),’’ Holland, who started his career in Adelaide as an apprentice at Lindsay Park, said.
“That would be something else, I obviously spent a lot of time in Adelaide and had plenty of guidance from Lettsy as a youngster, so hopefully that can happen.”
Anthony Freedman’s Heart of Grace sits on the second line of betting at $3.40 and the stable will need to see a forward showing to progress to Monday week’s $400,000 Group 2 Adelaide Cup.
“She is on an Adelaide Cup path and will need to be competitive to justify pushing on,’’ Freedman’s Racing Manager Brad Taylor said.
“But she is in good order, a mare that will be suited to the rise in distance and we look forward to seeing her out to this trip (on) Saturday.”
Hasta La War is currently a $7 second favourite for the Adelaide Cup, a price that’s sure to change significantly if he can secure his place without penalty via a Lord Reims victory.
Chris Waller’s Dabiyr is currently a $5 Cup favourite having won two of his past three starts, including the Listed Torney Cup at Moonee Valley last time out, and he’s marked a $3 favourite for Saturday’s Roy Higgins Quality at Flemington.