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Port Lincoln Cup Day preview

The biggest day on the Eyre Peninsula is almost here and there are plenty of horses in red hot form coming into Friday’s Port Lincoln Cup meeting.

HOT HORSE

One of the best picket fences in Australian racing would have to belong to John Hickmott’s Magnus Magic. The mare has chalked up five wins on the trot and will be out to make that six straight in Race 4 on Friday. Sairyn Fawke rides the six-year-old who he’s partnered to her last two wins at this track. While barrier 11 probably isn’t ideal, she’s three from six at the track and distance and drops down in grade from her last two victories.

JOCKEY TO WATCH

She’s not only the most in-form jockey in the state but Raquel Clark is now sitting in fifth position in the Australian Jockey Standings with 90 wins this season. Along with Jake Toeroek she’s also recorded the most wins at Port Lincoln this season with 13 apiece. Clark has eight rides on Friday including four for trainer Dennis McMahon and seat on leading Cup chance Table of Wisdom. The Dennis O’Leary gelding has now won four races in a row including the Kangaroo Island Cup.

HISTORY REPEATING?

Local trainer Darryl Carrison has won the last race on Cup Day for the last two years. Can Mr Liberty continue the tradition by claiming Friday’s Get Out Stakes? He’s never run further than a mile and the 1750m could test him but he has been solid in races in this grade and has looked as if the further distances will suit him. The step-up from 1200m to 1750m could be interesting but is one to watch.

CUP CHANCES

El Desperado – Will Clarken isn’t afraid to bring his horses to Port Lincoln and the 2016 Cup winning trainer will have a huge chance to claim another with his last start Strathalbyn Cup winner. The horse has only missed the placings twice in his fourteen start career and after a strong Strathalbyn Cup win and the booking of Jamie Kah; he looks one of the horses to beat in the feature.

Lady Conquistador – The main local hope is undefeated over the Cup distance at the track and was coming home strong in the Cup Prelude last start. Apprentice Sophie Logan has been riding the horse exceptionally well and on the minimum will be a huge chance to claim a hometown Cup.   

Table of Wisdom – Winning form is good form and Table of Wisdom has now strung together four wins in a row. The Kangaroo Island Cup winner will look to lead and control the race like he usually does and with Raquel Clark in the saddle they will be giving the field something to chase right to the line.

BEST BET

The out of towners in Gordon Richards and Jamie Kah look to be the winning combination in Race 6 with Icelandic Star. While it’s been 16 months since his last win, the gelding has placed eight times in his last seventeen starts and returns to a track that he absolutely loves. The former Port Lincoln trained sprinter has four wins and eight placings from 15 starts at the Port Lincoln 1000m and as one of Jamie Kah’s two rides for the day he should be very hard to beat.

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