Wyong horseman Stephen Farley will experiment with the gear for his veteran seven-year-old Gazza Guru when they line-up in the 2012 Gosford Gold Cup this Thursday hoping to rejuvenate the old boy into a late-career win.
One of 14 gallopers accepted for the $125,000 Listed Gosford Gold Cup (2100m), due to jump as Gosford Race 6 at 6:10pm (NSW time) on Thursday evening, Street Cry gelding Gazza Guru will wear blinkers for the first time in their 59-start career to date.
A winner of six of those 59 starts, Gazza Guru comes into the Gosford Gold Cup 2012 on the back of a seventh place finish when beaten seven and a half lengths by Peter Snowden’s fellow Gosford Cup hopeful Yulalona in the Group 3 Summer Cup (2400m) at Rosehill’s Boxing Day meeting.
Gaza Guru has good form at the venue for Thursday’s clash having taken out the Coffs Prestige South Grafton Cup (1600m) back in July of last year.
That was their last victory, but they have run a number of eye-catching placings since including three straight third place finishes in Sydney stakes races during the spring.
Third to The Verminator in the Listed Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) on September 2, Gaza Guru then came within a quarter length of the winner Green Moon in the Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) less than a fortnight later before third again this time to My Kingdom Of Fife in the Group 3 Craven Plate (2000m) at Randwick on October 1.
They face a tough field in the Grafton Gold Cup next-up with talent including Straight Albert, Winning Glory and Legsman who ran the winning trifecta in the Listed Tattersall’s Club Cup (2095m) at Warwick Farm on January 2.
Still, Farley remains optimistic that Gazza Guru can return to form having drawn nicely just worse than mid-field in barrier nine on the 54kg minimum for Thursday.
“We’ve decided to try the blinkers to switch him on a bit more,” Farley said.
“You don’t want to be too far back around Gosford so hopefully with the blinkers he can be a few pairs closer.
“He’s worked in the blinkers leading up to the race and it seems to have switched him on a bit more.
“There looks to be a bit of speed so they should roll along, but you still don’t want to be back near last at Gosford.
“But the horse seems well in himself and seems to be going along fine.”
Win or lose on Thursday, Gazza Guru will head to the paddock for a well-earned spell following the Gosford Cup.
The 2012 Gosford Gold Cup odds and betting markets are set to be released tomorrow.
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