Raceday focus: Preview, best bets and inside mail for Sunday’s meeting at Armidale

Trainer Craig Clegg calls on the state’s leading jockey in his bid to claim an early double at Armidale. BEST BETS, INSIDE MAIL

Trainer Craig Clegg has called on leading jockey Ben Looker (pictured) for his two runners at Armidale on Sunday. Picture: Bradley Photos

Craig Clegg is no leaving no stone unturned in his quest to take out the first two races on Guyra Cup Day at Armidale.

The Tamworth-based conditioner has managed to secure the services of one of the State’s leading jockeys, Ben Looker, for his Armidale-bound pairing of Captain Kenny and Rapidly.

Looker’s current career tally of winners is closing in on 1,200, a figure helped along by his incredible 2022/23 season.

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Former Joe Pride gelding, Captain Kenny, looks a good chance at Armidale for trainer Craig Clegg. Picture: Bradley Photos

Looker’s total of 118 ½ winners last season saw him finish second on the New South Wales Jockey Premiership table behind Aaron Bullock.

Armidale is Looker’s fourth most successful track in terms of winners (80) but a venue where he boasts a superior winning strike rate of 17 per cent which leaps to 41.2 per cent when placings are added.

“Benny rides Armidale as good as anyone,” Clegg says.

“I look at it this way; I try and do everything 110 per cent on this end and if I can go to the races and try and get the best jockey available at the time, I think it helps you to get the result on the other end.”

Clegg and Looker’s first cab off the ranks is the well-travelled Captain Kenny who contests the Armidale Cup Day 3/12/23 Maiden Plate over 1100m.

Originally housed at Joe Pride’s Warwick Farm stable, Captain Kenny had a stint of racing in Victoria before Clegg secured the son of Shalaa online for $5,000.

“He settled in good up here,” Clegg reported.

“I train off-track, I have got my own farm where I train from. They are in the paddocks for most of the time and out in the open.

“I have got a 1000 metre uphill track on one part of the place and they do a fair bit of work there.

“A couple of early runs for me were pretty good.

A nice debut from Antisocial, who got a gun run and races clear for the @AshMorgan6 and @cavanoughracing duo. pic.twitter.com/v45B3FDwia

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“If he jumps clean and gets in a good position, he should be pretty competitive in that field.

“Ben knows the horse and he has stuck with him with so there is a bit of continuity there so I am quite happy with that aspect.”

While this will be the third time Looker has ridden Captain Kenny, the Country Championship Final winning hoop will have his first look at Clegg’s mare Rapidly in the Dasha’s Hardware Maiden Plate (1100m).

“Rapidly is an improving type,” Clegg said.

“Chelsea Hillier rode her at Armidale for me and when she came back, she said to try this and try that so I took her advice.

“I’ve done it and changed a bit of gear with her and just quietly, I think it has helped her in her trackwork.

“On that presumption, I would be confident that she should run a lot better race than she did last time.

“Phillip Lyne, who owns her, came and watched her trackwork (last) Saturday morning and I said to him prior to trackwork that this mare works fast enough to win a couple of races.

“She has got to learn to be a racehorse and learn her craft.”

Rapidly is a royally-bred mare thanks to her distant but direct, ancestor, Crystal Palace, dam of George Moore’s 1967 English Derby winner, Royal Palace.

SHAYNE O’CASS’ TOP SELECTIONS

BEST BET

Race 5 No. 2: Eighty Eight Stars

Handy type from the Sue Grills stable in an ideal race albeit with a less than perfect draw.

NEXT BEST

Race 6 No. 2: Stay Safe

WA Guineas runner-up who did enough at his NSW debut in a deep race at Scone.

VALUE BET

Race 7 No. 3: Aquarter

Pay to overlook the last run. Dud draw again but he’s better than most of these.

QUADDIE

Race 4: 1, 3, 7

Race 5: 1, 2, 5

Race 6: 2, 3, 9

Race 7: 3, 4, 7, 8

Ben Looker looks hard to beat in the TAB Jockey Challenge at Armidale.

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW

Ben Looker is well placed to win Sunday’s TAB Jockeys Challenge (before scratchings).

INSIDE MAIL - ARMIDALE

RACE 1

Exsensible had his first seven of 10 career starts under David Pfieffer. His last three are for Tamworth trainer Melissa Dennett. For the record, he has finished runner-up four times and was once third. If you knew him from his trials days, you too would be staggered how he hasn’t won his maiden. If he can’t do it from barrier 2 at this place - oh dear. That said, Olimba and Captain Kenny are no pushovers. Olimba is the type who should run well second-up while the Craig Clegg stable acquisition Captain Kenny sent out some good signs in his trial.

Bet: Exsensible to win

RACE 2

Rapidly is unplaced in her three starts and her cumulative beaten margin is circa 22-lengths. Now with that said, this is a pretty skinny looking maiden. It is also pertinent to note that Rapidly’s best run of the three was here at Armidale. The draw is no help but Ben Looker is. The market might well tell the story when it comes to the well-bred former Victorian mare Tsarina Chaos who makes her NSW debut for one of the most astute trainers in the business. Superwand could get into the medals here, it’s not strong.

Bet: Rapidly to win

RACE 3

Bill Peyto has won just twice in his 44 starts but let’s be fair, he has placed 15 times and often in better company than this and frequently without much luck. Credit to the horse, he tries hard so we can back him with confidence in that respect. Nice draw, good jockey, well weighted. When it comes to strike rates, Nicator has a good one. That’s 33 runs for four wins and 10 placings. Best thing about him is that he is a last start winner. That, and box one for Digger of course. Our Girl Eve is suited back up to 1900m and so is Sacred Girl.

Bet: Bill Peyto to win, quinella 1, 2

Bill Peyto looks a good chance to break through at Armidale. Picture: Bradley Photos

RACE 4

Hard Truth is a Gerry Harvey-bred mare with two iron-horses in her make-up being by All Too Hard out of a mare by Testa Rossa. Hard Truth has four starts under her belt for two seconds, her best showings and good news; they were both here at Armidale. Awful draw but a great race for her. More For Us is a Stirling Osland-trained former Victorian gelding whose two runs up here in NSW were “fair’ then ‘good’ indicating that he may well be on the right trajectory to a win here. Ditto for the Osland stablemate Kimmela who has drawn 12 of 12 here. Casino beat and Tudor Cathedrals have claims.

Bet: Hard Truth to win

RACE 5

Eighty Eight Stars has a pedigree that we can’t let pass by. To save time and space, let’s just acknowledge that his third dam is a Bletchingly half-sister to Zabeel. As for Eighty Eight Stars himself, he has shown that he is both capable and reliable. That much is clear from his C.V which reads as a win and five placings from eight starts. If the barrier doesn’t beat him, he might beat the rest. When it comes to barriers, while it couldn’t get any worse for Eighty Eight Stars, it literally couldn’t get any better for Starry jack who drew the rails.

Bet: Eighty Eight Stars to win, exacta 2 to beat 1, quinella 1, 2, box trifecta 1, 2, 4, 5

RACE 6

Stay Safe had his initial 14 of his 15 starts over in WA where he was a pretty good three-year-old in his day, keeping he was runner-up in the Guineas over there and third in a Lee-Steere Classic. He blew like a tornado first-up at Scone for Brett Cavanough. It was probably always going to be too short and he is no first-up performer. All in all, he ran quite well actually from a future perspective. Toulon Factor has really caught the eye last at his last couple, they being his first couple under the new management. Retrieval, Indifference and Seahaven all have genuine winning prospects.

Bet: Stay Safe to win, quinella/exacta 2, 9

RACE 7

Aquarter wears the same colours as his most famous close family relation, none of other than the Concorde Stakes and Aurie’s Star winner, Shiraz. Aquarter turned in the worse run of his nine start career at Scone on October 27 but nothing went right from start (literally speaking) to finish. He is nominated for Quirindi during the week so is not a certain starter from that draw. Gold Counter is going to be popular with or without Aquarter. That said, Gold Counter has drawn even wider but he might well come in a fair few. Form is good enough regardless. Slice of Heaven was scratched from Kempsey on Friday.

Bet: Aquarter to win or if scratched, Gold Counter to win