Albury preview: Trainer Ron Stubbs is hoping an Albury Cup win can get Bianco Vilano back to Randwick for the Big Dance

Trainer Ron Stubbs has tackled Randwick’s two biggest races for country horses with Bianco Vilano and hopes to return in November for the Big Dance with a win in the Albury Cup.

Local gelding Bianco Vilano is chasing victory in the Albury Cup. Picture: Bradley Photos

Bianco Vilano has run in the last two Country Championships Finals and a Kosciuszko in between without much luck in any or all of them it must be said.

Now his trainer Ron Stubbs wants to add a Big Dance appearance to the horses’ resume.

To do that, the son of T J Smith Stakes winner Foxwedge will have to successfully see out 2000m in the Albury Cup.

“It’s his first time over 2000m but if we didn’t run him in the Albury Cup, he’d be in the Albury Mile racing against his brother Baledon so we thought we would give him the opportunity and see what happens,” Stubbs said.

“The way he is running his miles (1600m), he has been getting back in his races and finding the line quite strongly. And he will relax in running.

@CWilliamsJockey rides Bianco Vilano to victory to go back-to-back in the Newhaven Park SDRA Country Championships for the @RonStubbs4 stable! pic.twitter.com/Aowbf7OAFV

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) February 18, 2024

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“I guess it is more hope than anything but there is only one way to find out.”

Stubbs provides the ‘local hero’ on the Cup Card with the evergreen sprinter Sparring sizing up a third consecutive win in the co-feature, the Flat Knacker (900m).

“He’s never been beaten at the Albury track in a trial or a race,” Stubbs said.

“He just loves his home track.

“You read his form and it probably doesn’t read that well but two starts back at Randwick, that was a great run.

“He ran a great sectional. I think his last 200m was the third quickest for the meeting.

“And he wasn’t comfortable down the straight at Flemington last start.

“It was a new experience and he just didn’t seem to handle it that well but we’re very happy with him.

“His trackwork is right up to the mark so I can’t see why he can’t be competitive.”

That’s even with his 63kg impost in the 2025 Flat Knacker compared to a luxurious 55kg in 2023 and 61kg in 2024.

“He has to carry 60-plus just about every start, particularly in the country. He’s used to that,” trainer Stubbs said.

Sparring lands the last punch🥊to win at @mtcwagga with Jason Lyon on board! pic.twitter.com/tUS5om7tdj

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 26, 2024

“If he is beaten, it won’t be the weight.”

Jockey Jason Lyon will likely play an integral part in Stubbs’ Cup Day with the job of steering Sparring, Prophet’s Daughter and the speedy Brial Rose for the local conditioner.

Lyon is ‘one for one’ on Denman mare Brial Rose who has been gifted a favourable draw in the entirely suitable Allure Lash & Beauty Showcase Class 2 (1000m).

“She is very quick from the barriers and she’ll take up a forward position,” Stubbs said.

“She will be better for her first-up run so I think she will be very competitive.”

Prophet’s Daughter meanwhile is out to drive home her compelling strike-rate at Albury in the Lexus Wodonga Country Magic Class 3 Handicap (1500m).

“We were happy with her in the Qualifier,” Stubbs began.

“First-up over 1400m, she was trapped wide and didn’t really have much luck in running.

“At the 200m, she presented like she was going to be right in the finish, and then she probably was just found wanting that last 100m.”

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Regular Country Championships participant Colt Prosser rates Wild Card contestants Bjorn Ironside and Kaihoko as his best two horses to have competed in the series.

The only problem is, just one of the duo can progress through to next month’s Final, and it will take nothing short of a win in the hotly-contested feature.

Prosser’s pair arrive in peak condition for their potentially career defining test but both are saddled with wide draws.

“It’s never great but a big field, good horses, there’ll be plenty of pressure up front,” Prosser said.

“They’ll have plenty of time to wind-up and get to the line and hopefully we have a bit of luck and they are good enough.

“Kaihoko can be ridden like that and Bjorn Ironside, he’ll just have to be ridden conservatively to get a good 1400m anyway.”

Bjorn Ironside and @ashmorgan6 sail down the centre of the course to take out Race 7 at @_TJCpic.twitter.com/Hz7LVU1eiq

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 21, 2024

Bjorn Ironside was inches away from qualifying for the April 5 Final when third in the MNC Heat over 1200m on February 16.

If he is to get through, he will have to prove himself at the longer trip on the bigger track.

“We have been training him and building him for it (1400m),” Prosser said.

“I thought he was really good at Tamworth the other day. He was the victim of a small field and they walked in front of him and from the outside gate he had to go back a bit. He just couldn’t peg back the horse with seven-less kilos back on the line but he kept trying all the way.”

Whereas Bjorn Ironside is yet to win beyond 1205m, his stablemate and Wild Card rival Kaihoko has a 1600m win on his resume which boasts a last start 1250m win at Canterbury.

“He’s been screaming for 1400m,” Prosser declared.

“He was probably ready for that first-up and it took all of the Canterbury straight to get it done the other day.

“Another 100 yards and he probably wins very, very easily and the form out of that race has stood up good.”

Prosser’s Scone-bound couple have won close enough to $250,000 combined which is a stunning and ongoing return on their collective purchase price of $35,000.

“I had one note next to Bjorn when I bought him, I said ‘just buy it, don’t be scared’ and we got him,” he said.

“It was my only bid, I didn’t have any more money at $20,000.

“Kaihoko, I couldn’t believe I got him for one bid too; $15,000 from the Classic Sale

“As a Dundeel, that’s just unheard of.

“We thought we were joking when we put our hand up for one bid and secured him.”