Nothing has gone right for David Vandyke in Qld recently but that’s set to change

A MONTH to forget is set to come to an end for trainer David Vandyke with improving stayer Maurus poised to continue his rise in this Saturday’s Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m).

Maurus is likely to start favourite in the Ipswich Cup. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography

A MONTH to forget is set to come to an end for trainer David Vandyke with improving stayer Maurus poised to continue his rise in this Saturday’s Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m).

Vandyke could consider himself unlucky not to claim a feature race during the Brisbane Winter Carnival with Sir John Hawkwood finishing a luckless second in both the JRA and Brisbane Cups.

Brazen also finished third in the Rough Habit Plate, while Maurus finished a close fifth in the Doomben Cup and seemed to have a mortgage on the Group 2 Eagle Farm Cup on June 4 before the meeting was washed out.

The Sunshine Coast-based Vandyke has had a frustrating four weeks but is confident Maurus can turn the stable’s fortune around this Saturday.

“We also had a couple of short-priced favourites run second at Ballina (on Monday) so we’re due for a change of luck and hopefully the run of seconds is over,” Vandyke said.

“The Ipswich Cup should be a lovely race for Maurus and he should be very competitive.

“It’s hard to say (he would have won the Doomben Cup with a better run) but he was off and running a fair way out and it is hard to sustain a 600m run in a Group 1 like that.

“But it was a good effort and he didn’t get beat far and he should run well in the Ipswich Cup.”

Maurus, who will be ridden by Damian Browne this Saturday, has been a revelation this winter and shocked many when he made the quantum leap from an open handicap to Group 1 company in the Doomben Cup on May 21.

The five-year-old took off from last at the 600m mark and looked set to win the Group 1 before his hard run took its toll over the final 200m.

The performance was an eye-catcher to say the least and puts Maurus in the box seat to claim his first stakes victory this weekend.

A total of 15 nominations were received for the 150th running of the Ipswich Cup with Maurus all but certain to start favourite in the $175,000 feature.

The Ipswich track was rated a Good 4 yesterday with a possible shower predicted for most days this week.