On Friday the country cup’s racing action continues at Wagga with the running of the Wagga Wagga Gold Cup 2014 where the Kurt Goldman-trained Faust shoots for their third on the trot.

The Librettist four-year-old is one of a bumper 19 acceptors for this year’s $140,000 Listed 2014 Wagga Wagga Gold Cup (2000m) that has a capacity 16 starters.

Drawn in gate 14 with apprentice hoop Sam Clipperton in the saddle is the in-form Faust who comes off back-to-back 1800m wins.

The first was at Randwick’s Kensington track before they came to Wagga Racecourse on April 13 to carry 58kg to a smart two and a half length victory over Too Hi Tek in the Murrumbidgee Cup.

On Friday they get the chance to make it successive cup wins at Wagga and are sure to start near the top of Wagga Cup betting as they drop back to the 54kg minimum.

Also coming via the Murrumbidgee Cup are the Robert Price-trained runner-up Too Hi Tek with Kathy O’Hara to ride and fourth placed Texan Son who just sneaks into the starting line-up with the number 16 saddlecloth.

Gary Colvin’s local Danewin five-year-old Texan Son backed up from that run at the track on April 22 and scored a win of their own in the Country Cup over the 2000m, a performance that will see the punters get behind them again this week.

Third placegetter in the Murrumbidgee Cup Gunner was also accepted but the Brad Witt-trained galloper is the second emergency so is far from assured of a run.

Country Cup runner-up Jo Jo Girl meanwhile is the first emergency for the Wagga Wagga Gold Cup and so the consistent Reset mare could get a chance to turn the table on their last start conqueror.

She’s come close to her own feature win all season having also finished second to Al Ahmar in the Gundagai Cup at the start of April on a Heavy (10) track and so can handle all conditions.

Heading the Wagga Wagga Gold Cup field and weights with 58kg is then the Brett Cavanough-trained Niblick who hasn’t won a race since the Listed National Sprint (1400m) in Canberra back in March last year.

Along with Niblick Cavanough has also accepted for Price Of Glory, the duo having run seventh (Prince Of Glory) and eighth (Niblick) in the Schweppes Handicap (1800m) at Sandown last Saturday.

They are both known mudlarks however and so their chances of an upset will improve should the forecast rain in New South Wales fall before Friday.

“There is plenty of rain about so both my horses will go around in the cup,” Cavanough told The Border Mail.

“They had a nice little blow out on the weekend over 1800 metres.

“One of the Wagga committee men said the race had fallen away like you wouldn’t believe.

“So it doesn’t look like being an overly strong Wagga Cup, which is a good thing from my point of view.

“I just need the rain to come and my pair will be ultra-competitive.”

The only others over the minimum are then John Thompson’s Honours List seven-year-old Honourable Aussie (56.5kg) last seen running fourth in the Albury Cup, and the Chris Waller-trained duo of Trade Commissioner (56.5gk) and Beyond Thankful (54.5kg) who both ran second in their lead-up runs.

The complete Wagga Wagga Gold Cup 2014 field, barriers, jockeys and weights are listed in the table below.

Betting on the big one in Wagga on Friday will open at our number one recommended bookie Ladbrokes.com.au shortly so make sure you open your account with them today to get in on the action.

2014 Wagga Wagga Gold Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw

Wagga Race 7 – 4:15pm (AEST) – 02/05/2014

#	Form (Last 10)	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Br.	Wgt.	Hcp. Rating
1	x080x00828	NIBLICK	Brett Cavanough	Billy Egan	2	58kg	93
2	x096725424	HONOURABLE AUSSIE	John P Thompson	Christian Reith	9	56.5kg	90
3	x75256x632	TRADE COMMISSIONER (IRE)	Chris Waller	Craig Newitt	13	56.5kg	90
4	400352×312	BEYOND THANKFUL (IRE)	Chris Waller	Jason Collett	5	54.5kg	86
5	0x91252211	FAUST (NZ)	Kurt Goldman	Sam Clipperton (a)	14	54kg	83
6	1197×36527	PRICE OF GLORY	Brett Cavanough	Ms Linda Meech	11	54kg	82
7	048558×928	WORLD WIDE	Bede Murray	Brodie Loy (a)	6	54kg	82
8	310124×077	TRAJET	Liam Birchley	Chris Munce	17	54kg	80
9	347x70x686	DEVISED	Tim Donnelly	John Kissick (a)	4	54kg	79
10	x715465165	MICALONG	Mick Miladinovic	Richard Bensley	19	54kg	78
11	6484×39343	ASCLEPIUS	Len Hodgson	Jeff Penza	12	54kg	76
12	1302×53502	GRAND SAI WAN	Peter Burgun	Ms Shirley Hunter	8	54kg	76
13	x3169x3141	THERESMUSICPLAYING (USA)	Matthew Dale	Brenton Avdulla	7	54kg	75
14	0x19830x53	MURDOCH’S JOY	Brian Cox	Regan Bayliss (a)	1	54kg	73
15	58625×1362	TOO HI TEK	Robert Price	Ms Kathy O’Hara	10	54kg	73
16	1312×21541	TEXAN SON	Gary Colvin	Jake Duffy	15	54kg	70
17e	211×523322	JO JO GIRL	Tim Donnelly	Jake Duffy	18	54kg	70
18e	246×123403	GUNNER	Brad Witt	Josh Adams	16	54kg	69
19e	40×0972106	SURZEAL	Trevor Sutherland	Michael Heagney	3	54kg	59