Trainer Ben Brisbourne to hit the road with consistent performer Suparazi with The Gong in mind

The Gong, the Cranbourne and Kilmore Cups and a $200,000 race in Canberra are all options for Wangaratta trainer Ben Brisbourne to consider with Big Dance placegetter Suparazi.

Reliable galloper Suparazi will be on the road somewhere over the weekend. Picture: Getty Images.

Consistent galloper Suparazi will hit the road this weekend, but his destination is even a mystery to his trainer Ben Brisbourne.

Brisbourne has entered Suparazi for four races on Saturday and Sunday, two in Victoria and others at Kembla Grange and Canberra.

Brisbourne said the least likely was Saturday’s $500,000 Cranbourne Cup.

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The trainer said he would like to take the longest trip to chase $1m in prizemoney at Kembla Grange, more than 600km from his Wangaratta base.

“We’ve got him in everywhere,” Brisbourne said.

“I haven’t spoken to all the owners yet, but my preference is for The Gong.

“If we accept for The Gong and he draws the car park, then we’ve got him in at Canberra and the Kilmore Cup on Sunday.

“I don’t think we’re going to get to Cranbourne anyway.”

Suparazi has been one of the most reliable performers of the spring, placing in five of six starts in a campaign that started with an unlucky second at The Valley in August.

The son of Super One’s only unplaced run of the spring was in the Group 2 Crystal Mile on Cox Plate day, but Suparazi ran on gamely when third in the $3m Big Dance at Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day.

GRINGOTTS wins the Big Dance💃!

A quinella for @cmaherracing in the $3 million feature but a 10/10 from @TommyBerry21 gets the Tamworth Cup winner home at Randwick over stablemate Vivy Air with Suparazi in third. @tabcomau@_TJCpic.twitter.com/1ggP5S0RQ0

— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) November 5, 2024

“He hasn’t won a race but he’s put plenty of prizemoney in the kitty, so he’s done a great job,” Brisbourne said.

“We really did target the Big Dance as the grand final for him and in all his lead-up runs, he did exactly what we wanted him to do.

“He didn’t have any gut-busters and performed very well so we were happy to pick up that prizemoney and not go up too much in the handicaps.

“On grand final day, he didn’t let us down. He put in a great performance.”

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Brisbourne said the extended spring carnivals in both Victoria and NSW provided more opportunities for horses in Suparazi’s bracket to race for big purses away from elite company.

“It gives everyone a little bit more of an opportunity,” Brisbourne said.

“It gives those horses that don’t have the rating to run for those major prizes a chance to go around for a million bucks in a handicap.”

Suparazi is a $51 chance in early betting on The Gong despite meeting the Big Dance winner Gringotts better at the weights for finishing 1¾ lengths from him at their last meeting.

Gringotts is the $3.50 favourite for The Gong.

Originally published as Trainer Ben Brisbourne to hit the road with consistent performer Suparazi with The Gong in mind