One of the most famous miles of the local racing calendar, the Gooree Cup, is on this Sunday along with another seven races as well as the $35,000 main event.
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Mudgee Racing Club president Max Walker said, “we’re looking forward to it and always do, it’s a big day on the calendar”.
“There’s a fantastic field, but then the Gooree Cup always does, it’s one of our biggest race meetings,” he said.
“There’s good nominations and I think it will be an exceptional day and there’s some great horses racing in this one.
“It’s a prestige race of the Central West, very sought after, and Gooree being one of the big supporters of the club for many years is great.”
Local hopes for the main race ride with Cameron Crockett and his eight-year-old chestnut gelding Are You Sure.
The trainer said he’s confident given the horse’s recent form and the fact that his preparation is almost identical to what’s worked for him in the past.
“I think he’s a very strong chance, he’s in good form and when he’s in good form he holds it really well,” he said.
“He’s dropping back from a 2100m start, back to 1900m and now back to a mile, he’s a very versatile horse and he’s rock-hard fit.
“In the past I’ve taken that horse to Sydney and backed him up eight days later in Mudgee and we won, I’ve backed him up another time in 10 days from Sydney and he won, and when he ran second in the Gooree mile two years ago he was backing up from a 1900m in Canterbury 10 days earlier and was only about half a neck off.
“So it’s a formula that’s worked in the past and this is the exact same turn around as two years ago.”
Crockett said that taking out the prestigious local cup would mean a lot especially considering it hasn’t always worked out for Are You Sure in the past.
“It would be brilliant, it’s the one thing that I always wanted to win with this horse and in the past whenever he’s had a cup at home it’s always been coming towards the end of a run,” he said.
“He’s had a couple of goes at the Mudgee Cup and not had much success, he’s had four goes at the Gooree mile and something usually comes against him.
“But if he can get mobile in the straight and he brings his A-game, which I think he will because he’s spot-on, he will be very hard to beat.
“It would also be great to win a cup at home for [one of the owners] Des Kennedy because he’s been a very good supporter of our stables for a long time, ever since I started working for Dad [Max Crockett].”