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Check out fields, top jockeys for Ipswich Cup Day

Melbourne Cup winning jockey Glen Boss will be riding on Ipswich Cup Day, 32 years after re-igniting his career at the same track.

Champion jockey Glen Boss is hoping for more career-igniting form at Saturday's Ipswich Cup. Picture: JULIAN SMITH/AAP Image
Champion jockey Glen Boss is hoping for more career-igniting form at Saturday's Ipswich Cup. Picture: JULIAN SMITH/AAP Image

MELBOURNE Cup winning jockey Glen Boss will be riding on Ipswich Cup Day, 32 years after re-igniting his career at the same track.

A winning treble at that Saturday spring meeting at Bundamba gave Boss a massive boost during a period when he was struggling. He credited Ipswich for helping relaunch his career from the prizemoney and interest from owners and trainers that followed.

Boss later won three consecutive Melbourne Cups (2003-2005) on Maykbe Diva, among more than 1830 career victories. He's been back racing in Singapore.

The former Cox Plate winning jockey has been booked on Saturday to guide Master Zephyr in the $180,000 Ipswich Cup over 2150m and Snitch in the $176,500 City of Ipswich Eye Liner Stakes (1350m).

Another major ride for Boss is aboard  another Tony Gollan-trained hope Prue's Angel, in the time-honoured $126,500 Gai Waterhouse Classic (1350m).

Gollan has enjoyed regular success at the Bundamba track.

Boss will also be hoping for good fortune in his other Ipswich Cup rides aboard Magic Trick (QTIS 2YO Handicap), Johnny Whitesox (Ray White Ipswich Handicap) and Godfather's Girl (QTIS 3YO Handicap).

Regular winning hoop Blake Shinn. Picture: Warren Lynam
Regular winning hoop Blake Shinn. Picture: Warren Lynam

The veteran Aussie hoop will be joined in Ipswich by another recognised rider Blake Shinn.

Shinn is aboard topweight Man Booker in the Eye Liner Stakes.

This year's Eye Liner sprint has again attracted a top quality full field of 17, including emergency Astoria.

Shinn is riding another highly rated topweight Pecans in the Gai Waterhouse Classic.

Victorian-based Shinn can test the Cup Day conditions in race two, riding Le Palmier.

International jockey Mark Du Plessis with the Ipswich Cup. Picture: Cordell Richardson
International jockey Mark Du Plessis with the Ipswich Cup. Picture: Cordell Richardson

But while Boss and Shinn will be among the leading riders on Cup Day, another international hoop is hoping for a change of recent luck.

Zimbabwe-bred, New Zealand-based Mark Du Plessis has secured a ride on the Ipswich Cup topweight Sampson.

After some mixed results during the Queensland Winter Carnival, Du Plessis is keen to make the most of his big book of rides on Ipswich Cup Day.

"He's been a horse from New Zealand,'' Du Plessis said of nine-year-old gelding Sampson, who has drawn barrier 11 for the Cup race at 3.17pm.

"His run the other day was a little disappointing I thought. I think he just needed the run.''

This year's New Zealand St Leger winner Sampson has run and won over a number of distances collecting more than $445,000 in prizemoney.

"He's getting back to where he should be,'' Du Plessis said, preparing to ride on today's Doomben program.

"I've had bad luck with draws. It's been uncanny but that can happen.

"It's always hard racing, which it should be.

"Hopefully we can get some luck somewhere down the line with the rest of the carnival coming up.''

Other rides Du Plessis has secured for Cup Day include Bryneich (race 1), Tailevent (race 3), Mr Bellagio (race 4), Tucano (race 5), Boomtown Lass (race 6) and Bisou Bisou (race 9).

After growing up in Zimbabwe where he was a champion apprentice, Du Plessis made New Zealand his home base the past two decades.

That's why he enjoys riding Kiwi-bred horses and coming to racetracks like Ipswich.

"It's pretty full-on with all the people around but it's a good atmosphere,'' Du Plessis said of Ipswich Cup Day, having raced at last year's meeting.

He said being part of the Queensland Winter Carnival was a welcome challenge.

"It's always something that if you are based in New Zealand, you want to come over,'' he said. "It's always a good carnival to come to.

"Ipswich Cup Day is always one everyone looks forward to.''

Du Plessis returns to Ipswich having had some recent rides at the track.

He's raced around the world, including in Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore where he won the International Spring aboard Green Birdie in 2010.

One of his other major successes was riding Albany Reunion to a number of wins, including the 2014 Easter Handicap.

Michael Cahill. Picture: Patrick Woods
Michael Cahill. Picture: Patrick Woods

On Saturday, Du Plessis will come up against previous Ipswich Cup winners like Michael Cahill, who rode Self Sense to victory in 2017.

Cahill is aboard Morendi, launching from barrier six, in the Ipswich Cup, which has attracted 11 starters.

The regular Ipswich winning hoop has another big hope riding the James Cummings-trained Gaulois in the Eye Liner Stakes at 3.57pm.

Cahill's other rides include Akage (race 4) and Gemilli in the 3YO Handicap at 2.37pm, before the Ipswich Cup.

Last year's Eye Liner Stakes winner I'm A Rippa, trained by Gollan, is running again on Saturday.

Another highlight on Saturday will be The Queensland Times Provincial Stayers Handicap at 1.58pm.

The annual Cup Day stayers handicap is being run over 2500m, the first time in more than 20 years a race has been run over that distance at Bundamba.

At a time sprint races are more common, the jockeys will launch their hopes from the shute at the 800m mark.

Cahill will ride topweight Happy Go Plucky from barrier four in the $126,000 race, which has attracted a full field of 16 runners.

Organza, trained by James Cummings and ridden by Larry Cassidy, is likely to start favourite in the Gai Waterhouse Classic.

Race 7 (3.17pm) Saturday: $180,000 CHANNEL SEVEN IPSWICH CUP (2150m)

1 Sampson (NZ) (Howard Mathews) M Du Plessis 11 58.0

2 Bergerac (Steve Tregea) M Murphy(a0) 10 57.5

3 First Crush (Chris Munce) M McGillivray 3 56.0

4 Morendi (Darren Graham) M Cahill 6 55.0

5 Master Zephyr (GB) (Tony Haydon) G Boss 8 54.0

6 High Opinion (Kris Lees)) L Cassidy 7 54.0

7 Fighting Teo (Kevin Kemp) L Tarrant 2 54.0

8 Ruby Guru (NZ) (Michael Nolan) D Smith 5 54.0

9 Zanyetta (NZ) (Paul H Duncan)S McCormack 1 54.0

10 Terra Sancta (NZ) (Tony Pike) J Byrne 4 54.0

11 Mymming (Stuart Kendrick) R Wiggins 9 54.0

Race 8 (3.57pm) - CITY OF IPSWICH EYE LINER STAKES (1350m)

1 Man Booker (Daniel Morton) B Shinn 14 59.0

2 I'm a Rippa (Tony Gollan) L Cassidy 4 58.5

3 Violate (Brent Stanley) M McGillivray 9 58.5

4 Coldstone (FR) (Tony Gollan) R Maloney 5 58.0

5 Mr Marbellouz (Kevin Kemp) B Nothdurft (aO) 8 54.5

6 Prioritise (Steve Tregea) R Wiggins 3 54.5

7 Chapter And Verse (Desleigh Forster) 15 54.0

8 Petrology (Matthew Dunn) J Byrne 6 54.0

9 Balboa Rocks (Darryl Hansen) L Tilley 13 54.0

10 Dreams Aplenty (John Zielke) S McCormack 7 54.0

11 Gaulois (James Cummings) M Cahill 12 54.0

12 Malvern Estate (Desleigh Forster) R Fradd 2 54.0

13 Natch (NZ) (Tony Gollan) B Stewart 16 54.0

14 Bel Burgess (David Murphy) D Smith 11 54.0

15 Snitch (Tony Gollan) G Boss 1 54.0

16 Oink (Kelly Schweida) 10 54.0

17e Astoria (Diane Murphy) J Stanley 17 54.0

Don't miss Friday's 12 page Ipswich Cup guide in your QT.

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/ipswich/sport/check-out-fields-top-jockeys-for-ipswich-cup-day/news-story/2c076335d1c51f96a62ea99cb907db01