Gold Coast-based horseman John Morrisey admits it will be a remarkable training achievement if he can win this weekend’s Caloundra Cup with his Street Cry gelding Teary Eyed.
A rising seven-year-old, Teary Eyed was one of 14 final acceptors for the $200,000 Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m) at the Sunshine Coast this Saturday.
In a race featuring in-form runners including Ipswich Cup winner Gold In Dubai, Teary Eyed is unlikely to gain much attention from the Caloundra Cup punters but his connections remain hopeful if not confident.
Saturday will be Teary Eyed’s 40th career start, the veteran galloper having won seven races to date.
Their most recent turf triumph was in a 2200m Class 6 race at Eagle Farm in April, a strong performance considering they carried 57.5kg and had to overcome the far outside barrier of the 15-horse field.
Teary Eyed comes into the Caloundra Cup clash on the back of a fourth place finish to Mark Riley’s Victorian raider Gold In Dubai in the Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m) on June 18.
“The Ipswich Cup was his first run for three weeks and he was a bit lethargic at the start and didn’t want to go early,” Morrisey said.
“He had to come from a long way back and set himself an impossible task.”
Drawn in the ‘visitor’s gate’ with 14 again for Saturday, Teary Eyed is well-weighted with 53kg and will have his Ipswich Cup jockey Jason Taylor, winner of this year’s Stradbroke Handicap with gun three-year-old Sincero, aboard for their final run of the season before being turned out to the paddock for a spell.
“He’s been in work a long time but it doesn’t really worry me that much,” Morrisey said.
“He came into work in October last year and this will more than likely be his last start before he goes for a spell.
“Jason rode him well in the Ipswich Cup but he’s been a very unlucky horse a few times this prep.
“Caloundra is a big track and I don’t want to see him coming wide on the home turn.
“I’d rather Jason allow him to get back as normal and then just ride home for luck until he hits the straight.”
Twelve months ago Teary Eyed ran fourth in the 2010 Ipswich Cup to Our Lukas before continuing on to finish a gallant third beaten two lengths by last year’s Caloundra Cup winner Ironstein and runner-up Tinseltown.
While the Gerald Ryan-trained Inronstein, winner of the Group 3 Tatt’s Cup at Eagle Farm last Saturday, is not defending their Caloundra Cup title this year, Teary Eyed will be facing off against Michael Moroney’s Tinseltown for a second year in a row.
“He had to go a bit early in last year’s race but he still looked like winning at the 200 metres before his run died out,” Morrisey said.
Regardless of Teary Eyed’s performance and finish in the Caloundra Cup on Saturday, Morrisey is unlikely to give the galloper another shot at the $150,000 Listed Grafton Cup (2350m), a race they finished second last in 12 months ago.
“I’d prefer not to take him away for the Grafton Cup and he’ll go for a break and come back for another go at these races next year,” he confirmed.
