An outside chance, this runner could still surprise a few in the John Carlton Cup on Sunday

An outside chance, this runner could still surprise a few in the John Carlton Cup on Sunday

John Shelton trained Tarbert (1) edges All Stand in the Race 1 $22,000 Tarbert for the Kosciuszko Open 1020m at the Clarence River Jockey Club on Tuesday, October 1, 2019.

THE John Carlton Cup is the first bit of silverware available in the lead-up to the July Carnival and one of Grafton’s most successful trainers has his eyes on the prize.

Matthew Dunn-trained Snitz comes in as heavy favourite, paired with Grafton jockey Matthew McGuren, but John Shelton’s seven-year-old bay gelding Tarbert carries a great deal of experience with him.

Wins at Doomben and the Gold Coast sit alongside a Kosciuszko appearance in 2019 in an impressive resume to date.

Tarbert has been freshened with a 22-week spell and most recently a four-week spell either side of a seventh-place finish at Casino last month, but it was only late last year that the Shelton flyer was doing some real damage on the big stage and there’s plenty of reasons to suggest that he’s still got it.

Piloted by top Grafton jockey Ben Looker, who is on a comeback of his own, this makes the 1215m cup race an enthralling battle for punters.

Flanked by Tracey Bartley-trained Defeat and Brett Dodson’s Vacate, who comes in off the back of two straight wins, Looker will need to start strongly and hope for a good position around the bend.

Shelton will have three more runners taking part in tomorrow’s action, with Canford Springs and Magic Era lining up in the race four, the Westlawn Life Insurance Class 3 Handicap (1115m), before Looker aims to take Special Union past race favourite Money Heist in the race five, the Westlawn Insurance Brokers Class 1 Handicap (1215m).

Looker and Shelton have often found a way to beat the odds but the task at hand will be a difficult one in tomorrow’s racing at Grafton.

Originally published as An outside chance, this runner could still surprise a few in the John Carlton Cup on Sunday