PORT Macquarie trainer Neil Godbolt admits he doesn’t know what will happen in Taree on Friday.
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He has nominated five-year-old gelding Hippy High Ho for the Krambach Cup at the Bushland Drive Racecourse in a field that has received 19 nominations.
Those nominations have mostly come from provincial stables and the first challenge for Godbolt is getting Hippy High Ho to the starting gates.
While he showed a glimpse of form with a fourth-place at Coffs Harbour last week, the trainer has been “disappointed” with his last couple of runs.
“He’ll probably struggle to get a run with a small field and the rail out,” Godbolt said.
“He hasn’t really fired for us yet, but that’s the way it goes and you’ve just got to persevere and hope he turns the corner.
“They do that sometimes.”
Godbolt said it would be tough to claim a place with only a small field set to jump.
“If he gets a place in the field he’ll run, but it’ll be tough because there are only 12 starters,” he said.
The trainer felt Dixie Lad “should have a run on the day and is probably a good chance” of performing well.
In total, 161 nominations have been received which ensures a very competitive afternoon on the eight-card meeting.
Scone trainer Rodney Northam who had his galloper After All That win the $200,000 TAB Anniversary Highway Handicap over 1400m at Royal Randwick on Saturday has nominated two gallopers for the cup.
They are five-year-old gelding Red Knot and seven-year-old gelding Husswick, both being suited by the distance.
Red Knot was second in a 1500m Highway race at Rosehill before running seventh in another of them over 1600m at Randwick on October 7.
Husswick was fifth in the Gunnedah Cup over 1600m before a seventh, where he was beaten by three lengths, to Lead Choreographer over 1600m on September 20.
An interesting nomination is the classy seven-year-old mare Miss Tickles, trained at Cessnock by John Bannister, which won the Port Macquarie Cup Prelude over 1814m.
It then then ran a credible seventh to Rosehill trainer Chris Waller’s Loving Home in the $150,000 Port Macquarie Cup over 2000m.
Newcastle seven-year-old gelding Nadacheva has had 14 starts for three wins and three placings at the distance for trainer Alan Scorse.
Coming to hand after recent racing is former finalist in the Country Series of The Championships in five-year- old mare Another Valley, trained on the track by Bob Milligan.
Milligan is a great supporter of the former Krambach Race Club, now waiting to be officially amalgamated under the name of Manning Valley Race Club which includes Taree Wingham Race Club, and loves to have a winner or two at its meetings.
Another Valley was sixth in the $35,600 Jungle Juice Cup over 1350m at Cessnock last week and in six starts at Bushland Drive has had three wins.
Newcastle trainer Paul Perry has plenty of success at Taree and he has six-year- old gelding Don Pellegrino entered.
Its form is strong with a second at Warwick Farm and a third over 1600m at Gosford in recent starts.