An Albury trainer is hoping his three-year old has recovered from a ‘bashing’ in the Albury Gold Cup as he targets Friday’s $80,000 MTC Guineas (1600m).
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In only his fourth start, just five weeks after debuting, Nothin’ Like Harry battled to finish 13th in Albury’s biggest event on March 23.
“He pulled up pretty sore, he had a pretty hard run, they bashed into him a fair bit, so he couldn’t walk for two weeks,” trainer Garry Worsnop said.
“He normally pulls up pretty good, but the little girl on the outside of him just kept bashing into him through the race.”
Nothin’ Like Harry started with a second placing at Albury in mid-February and followed that a fortnight later with his first win at Wagga.
Both those races were over 1600m.
He backed it up with another win on the first day of the Albury Gold Cup carnival, but this time over 2000m.
“When he won the Sunday (March 18), he ran 2:05 and on the Cup day (March 23), he ran 1:59, it’s six seconds faster, so he ran 30 lengths better on the Friday than when he won on the Sunday,” Worsnop said.
“He’s a very talented horse, he’s pretty smart, especially over a mile (1600m) at the moment.
“He likes to sit about third or fourth, on the outside of them, he just comes up on them about three or four wide on the turn and takes off.”
Nothin’ Like Harry isn’t the only Border and North East horse in the Guineas, with Albury trainer Kym Davison’s Bocain also out to make an impact over the mile.
They’re among the 11 runners making the trip north.
Davison also has Rocky High in the first race, a maiden over 1200m, along with fellow Border trainer Pat Widdup, who has Strikeman.
Albury Gold Cup-winning and Wodonga-based trainer Craig Widdison has four runners, including Purrpussful and Makfi Lass over 1400m.
Albury’s Graham Hulm boasts Ilovethislady in the same race.
Widdison also has Skye And Me in the second race, over 1200m, while fellow Wodonga trainer Peter Maher’s I’m Peter and Stephen Aldridge’s Pieceofeight will tackle race four.
Widdison will also field Lord Laurie in the last.
No Border and North East horses will contest the feature event.
Widdison‘s Mr Coyne was scratched.
Australia’s leading trainer Chris Waller has two runners, Life Less Ordinary and Montauk.
Top jockeys Tye Angland and Corey Brown will ride those runners respectively.
Meanwhile, Wangaratta trainer Dan McCarthy grabbed a third placing with Ashlor in Thursday’s $150,000 Town Plate (1200m).
Queanbeyan trainer Joe Cleary’s Coolring ($21) won from Viceroy ($10) and Ashlor ($4.40).
The McCarthy-trained gelding had won seven of 14 races heading into the meet.
Ashlor carried strong form into the race, including a third placing in his last start, a $280,000 race, and was unlucky not to finish higher.
