Darley trainer Peter Snowden is planning to send a strong contingent to Grafton on July 13 in search of his second successive win in the Ramornie Handicap.
Snowden enjoyed last year's Ramornie win so much he is attempting to do it again
Snowden won the race last year with talented sprinter Pinwheel, however the talented five year old will not be defending his crown this year, with Snowden preferring to spell the horse ahead of the Melbourne spring carnival.
The dream of back to back Ramornie’s for Snowden will be kept alive by three of his improving types.
“I’ll nominate Mascareri, Skytrain and Jerezana for the Ramornie,” Snowden said.
“I’d love to have a Ramornie runner. Last year was fantastic.”
Snowden confirmed that while he would target the Ramornie, he would not lock in any plans until weights had been released.
“It will all depend on how the horses are going and I want to have a good look at the field and weights before making up my mind.”
Pinwheel won the race last year with 54.5 kg’s. At that stage of his career he had won five and finished second six times in 11 career starts. It is unlikely that any of the Snowden horses being aimed at this year’s Ramornie will receive any more than Pinwheel did last year.
Mascareri is the winner of seven races from 17 starts, however the four year old mare has only ever won benchmark races, which suggests she will get in well at the weights. The biggest win of her career was in a benchmark 85 Handicap at Randwick in January when she was able to beat home the likes of Killian and Tierqualo.
Skytrain is the winner of 5 races from 16 starts, and he was hardly disgraced when he finished fourth in the Takeover Target Stakes at Gosford.
Jerezana will go to Grafton fresh off a very unlucky Brisbane campaign. The mare drew poorly in the Dane Ripper Stakes and was never sighted. After that she was sent around as second favourite in the Gai Waterhouse Classic at Ipswich, however she laboured under the 58kg’s and never looked in the race. If she can rediscover her devastating form from the Scone Cup she will be hard to hold out.
Peter Moody is also believed to be considering the Ramornie as the next stop for in form sprinter Mr Make Believe. Mr Make Believe was been progressing through the grades nicely and after 10 career starts his record sits at six wins and two seconds.
