Melbourne Cup runner Mirage Dancer among 20 runners nominated for the $200,000 Grafton Cup
Northern Rivers’ leading trainer carries the flag for the region, while a former Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup runner will contest the 2021 Grafton Cup.
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2021 RAMORNIE HANDICAP NOMINATIONS
Murwillumbah’s Matthew Dunn is aiming to become the first Northern Rivers trainer to win the $200,000 Ramornie Handicap (1200m) since John Shelton’s famous win with Mother’s Gift in 2000.
The Northern Rivers’ leading trainer has nominated one of his most decorated runners to return for the region’s richest annual sprint at Grafton’s Clarence River Jockey Club next Wednesday.
With nine wins from 32 starts for overall career prizemoney of $547,025, Snitz is the third highest earner in Dunn’s 141-strong stable behind Grafton Cup contender Laure Me In ($556,675) and three-year-old colt Rocketing By ($725,740), whose win in the Inglis 3YO Sprint (1200m) at Randwick in February alone earned connections $584,000 in prizemoney.
Despite a disappointing ninth in his last visit to Grafton in the same race 12 months ago, Snitz otherwise conjures fond memories for his connections in the Jacaranda City.
Snitz won in his two other previous visits - a 2YO Handicap on debut in March 2017, and the $150,000 as the $1.55 favourite in the NRRA Country Championships Qualifier (1400m) the following year before finishing fifth in the final at Randwick.
While not bringing the same form in his lead up compared to running third in the $150,000 June Stakes at Randwick on the back of four straight wins, Snitz has had a similar preparation to last year, including second in the $151,000 Debortoli Wines Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Gosford on May 8, which delivered his last win 12 months ago.
While Snitz’s benchmark rating of 96 placed means he will carry 56.5kg after weights were declared this afternoon, Dunn also had Impasse among the 41 nominations, but the benchmark 81 rated six-year-old was well down in the weights at 27th with a final field of 16 runners and four emergencies.
Meanwhile, despite initial plans to aim at cups beyond the July Carnival, the nominations and weights released today confirmed Coffs Harbour’s Brett Bellamy may yet honour Northern Knight’s ballot exemption earned into the Ramornie Handicap from Sunday’s first-up win in the prelude event, the $27,000 John Carlton Cup.
After the win, Bellamy indicated that the race might not be on the seven-year-old gelding’s program.
“We were more looking at the Maclean and Sawtell cups then a Coffs Cup with him,” Bellamy said.
Northern Knight has been a tough horse to train since coming into work and Bellamy paid a lot of credit to jockey Ray Spokes.
“We have put a helluva lot of work into him,” Bellamy said. “Ray especially.”
Spokes was delighted with the win: “He has been a handful. He’s got ability, just getting it out of him. He was also well underdone today and will take improvement out of that.”
A late surge was not enough for Stephen Bennett-trained Exclusive ($18) to win back-to-back John Carlton Cups, and instead had to settle for second in a photo finish, with John Shelton’s Bugalugs ($9.50) third. Exclusive was among the 41 nominations for the Ramornie, but the five-year-old grey gelding is unlikely to get another crack, listed 29th in the weights.
Shelton put forward Bugalugs (rating 71) while Scott Henley was the other local trainer vying for a spot with Boyles (56), but both are well down the list.
Check out the weights for 2021 Ramornie Handicap here
After winning last year’s event with Signore Fox and in 2017 with Calanda, Peter and Paul Snowden have enlisted Brave Song (55.5kg), Hightail (54.5kg) and Poetic Charmer (54kg).
Meanwhile Toby and Trent Edmonds, who won back-to-back with Havasay in 2018 and 2019, have nominated outside chances Fisticuffs (54kg) and Peppi La Few (54kg), as well as topweight Usmanov (59kg), who won the $125,000 Lightning Handicap (1000m) at Eagle Farm on June 5.
2021 GRAFTON CUP NOMINATIONS
There were a total of 229 nominations across eight races for Ramornie Day next Wednesday, July 7, while 221 were put forward for the Grafton Cup meeting the following day.
There are 20 nominations for the $200,000 Grafton Cup, including the Westlawn Finance Grafton Cup Prelude (2230m) winner Purrfect Deal trained by Gold Coast’s Michael Costa.
The four-year-old daughter of Dundeel predictably earned a saloon passage in the July Carnival’s feature stayer event on July 15 when she surged to a comprehensive win by 3.5 lengths as the hot $3 favourite.
Purrfect Deal now has six wins and $126,440 in prizemoney to her credit from just 10 starts. After the win, stable foreman Michael Morrison told Sky Thoroughbred Central he believes she is a “massive chance” in the Grafton Cup.
“Quite clearly she didn’t beat much today but she came her off a mixed preparation,” Morrison said.
“She’s got another good run in her. She gets better and better.”
He also thought Andrew Mallyon rode her well under a big weight (62kg) but thinks talented young jockey Ben Thompson, who rode her previously, might return to be her jockey next Thursday.
“Ben has done nothing wrong, he’ll more than likely be back on her for the Cup.”
Check out the weights for 2021 Grafton Cup here
Laure Me In (56.5kg) will be aiming to win two of country racing’s biggest events in one preparation, after winning the $202,300 Scone Cup under Warwick Farm’s David Pfeiffer before switching to Dunn’s stables for its last two unplaced starts in Queensland.
While he doesn’t have anything listed for the Ramornie, relentless Rosehill trainer Chris Waller has Wu Gok (57kg), The Lord Mayor (54.5kg) and Humbolt Current (54kg) nominated for the Grafton Cup.
Fellow Sydney heavyweights John O’Shea (Berdibek 54kg), Bjorn Baker (Parry Sound 54kg, Spencer 54kg) and John Thompson (Primitivo 54kg) are also sending runners, while there are two from Victoria - Adrian McGregor’s Approach Discreet (54kg) and 2019 Melbourne Cup runner Mirage Dancer (60.5kg) trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young.
Meanwhile local hopes will be pinned on Laure Me In, Windermere (54kg) for Murwillumbah’s Edward O’Rourke and Grand Anthem will be the last emergency for Coffs Harbour’s Cathleen Rode.
2020-21 NORTHERN RIVERS RACING ASSOCIATION PREMIERSHIPS
Unofficial and compiled by Geoff Newling after the Sunday, June 27 meeting at Grafton (Murwillumbah meeting July 1 was abandoned due to wet weather).
TRAINERS
43: Matt Dunn
20: Brett Bellamy
14: Kris Lees, John Shelton
13: Edward O’Rourke Dwayne Schmidt
12: Stephen Lee
11: Kacy Fogden
10: Brett Dodson, Shane Everson
JOCKEYS
53: Matthew McGuren.
35: Ben Looker.
30: Ray Spokes.
29: Luke Rolls.
25: Jon Grisedale, Kirk Matheson.
24: Andrew Mallyon.
APPRENTICES
15: Emily Atkinson.
12: Leah Kilner, Kyle Wilson-Taylor.
10: Zac Lloyd.
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