Waller And Bowman Teaming Up Again For Shot At Underwood Cup
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday January 11, 2008
THE Villiers Stakes-winning team of trainer Chris Waller and jockey Hugh Bowman are confident of adding to last week's success with victory in the Frank Underwood Cup at Rosehill on Saturday.
The Waller-prepared former New Zealander Hurrah will go around in the listed event and Bowman takes over the reins from apprentice Tye Angland, who has been aboard in its past two starts."I'm hoping a change of jockey can result in a change of luck for Hurrah," Waller said on Thursday.The trainer was disappointed over what transpired when the gelding finished fourth to Underwood Cup rival Petreni at Randwick last Saturday.Angland was chastised by Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy about his tactics on Hurrah, which was shunted wide and shuffled back to last midway through an 1800-metre race contested by just six horses."You've got to do better," Murrihy told Angland."You are not a green apprentice any more. You've had a lot of success. But that was an ill-judged ride. An apprentice at your level should have done much better."Waller conceded the slowly run race last weekend could not have helped the cause of Hurrah and added he had not originally planned to run the galloper on Saturday."I put him in as a nomination thinking the race might not have been too strong," he said."It has actually turned out to be quite a good field, especially given the circumstances surrounding racing not being long back from the EI [equine influenza] crisis."It is certainly not going to be an easy race for us, but with a lack of suitable upcoming races for the horse we will go around and hope for the best."It would be good if Hugh could do what he did last week for us when winning the Villiers on Honor In War over a great horse like Takeover Target. "Although I'd prefer if he could win the race on the track this time without having to do it in the stewards' room."Waller said that on his best form he believed Hurrah would be "a great chance" in the Underwood Cup."But it is a matter of getting him to find that form," he said. "His first-up run this campaign was disappointing, but that was after he got stirred up in the parade before the race."His second-up effort was much better and the run last week was one to forgive. A stronger pace would suit on Saturday so we are hoping that will eventuate. And we have a nice draw in gate three."Underwood Cup favourite Party Crasher has won two from two for trainer Gai Waterhouse since resuming - claiming the scalps of talented performers Guillotine and Miss Pageantry.Party Crasher outgunned Miss Pageantry over 1500m at Rosehill two weeks ago in an epic battled down the straight and Blake Shinn retains the mount."He is racing very well and that was a real tough effort to win the way he did the other day," Shinn said."The step up to the 1900 looks good for him and he has been proven over a staying trip before. He is the one to beat again."The Gwenda Markwell-trained El Meroo backs up in the Underwood after a last-start third to Party Crasher and the Kim Waugh-trained former Sydney Cup placegetter Philosophe will go around. Markwell also has Choose To Dream in the $80,000 race.Paul Perry-trained Brisbane Cup winner Newport was down the track in the Villiers but steps up to a suitable trip when taking on the Underwood with Rod Quinn in the saddle.Randwick trainer Pat Webster believes his last-start Kensington track winner Mizone is deserving of a crack."He has never missed a place at the distance and is going as good as he has ever gone," Webster said.
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald
