LOCAL star Sebony and last year’s winner Quichang will each be attempting to win a historic second Bega Cheese Bega Cup at Sapphire Coast Turf Club on Sunday.
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However, the pair will be up against strong opposition from Sydney, Canberra and Queanbeyan runners.
Leading Sydney trainer Gerald Ryan has entered Equable in the $27,000 open handicap over the testing 1600m and prominent Warwick Farm trainer Greg McFarlane has accepted with Biggietupac for both the Bega Cup and the Bega Town Plate.
Sebony, trained by Chris and Michelle Strickland at Kalaru, won the Bega Cup in 2010 and showed a return to his best form with a close second in the Moruya Town Plate over 1425 metres on January 23.
Moruya trainer Luke Pepper will attempt to continue his domination of the big summer races on the Far South Coast in the Bega Cup with Quichang.
Pepper enjoyed a historic January on his home track when he won the Narooma and Moruya Cups double with Quichang and Ilringya.
It was a repeat of Pepper’s feat in 2011 when he trained Ilringya to win the Moruya feature double.
He then won the 2011 Bega Cup with Quichang and is now hoping history repeats when he takes that horse back to the Sapphire Coast
on Sunday.
Quichang won the Narooma Cup (1650m) on January 9 and Pepper said he will be hard fit and suited coming back in distance from his Moruya Cup third over 1930 metres.
“Quichang is in career best form,” Pepper said.
“He’s certainly going better than last year as he had been unplaced in his five starts before he won the Bega Cup.
“He will be hard to beat coming back to 1600 metres as that is his best distance. He’s won five races over the trip.”
The other local hope in the big race is Brimstone, trained by Doug Cole at Kalaru, which had plenty of excuses for his failure when sent out as the even money favourite in the Moruya Town Plate two weeks ago.
He was blocked for runs at vital stages of the race and did well to finish fifth.
A four-year-old gelding, he will be having his first run over the 1600 metre distance of the Bega Cup, while Sebony, an eight-year-old gelding, will be stepping up to his favourite distance.
Wolumla trainer Benny Wynen also has Gelderbelle nominated in the feature event.
Equable, a seven-year-old gelding, which has won eight of his 47 starts with 14 placing and almost $300,000 in prize money, will carry top weight in the cup ahead of Sebony.
His best recent form was a third at Canterbury over 1550m on January 4.
Ryan, who is making his first visit to the Sapphire Coast, will be accompanied by his leading apprentice Josh Adams, 19, who took out last year’s Sydney apprentice jockeys championship.
Several other last start winners and placegetters from the main Moruya leadup meetings will also take their place in the Bega Cup field.
They include Paramount Pete, which downed Sebony in the Moruya Town Plate, and Benny’s Jet trained by Frank Cleary at Queanbeyan.
Other runners from the leading Canberra and Queanbeyan stables include Al Ahmar (Barbara Joseph and Paul Jones) and Micalong (Mick Miladinovic).
The day’s other feature race, the $18,000 Carlton Mid Bega Town Plate, an open handicap over 1200m, has also drawn a strong line up of sprinters.
The line up includes Ravna Gora, trained by Mick Miladinovic, Jondaborg (John Marzol), Vocalic (Nick Olive), Beyond Expectation (John Nisbet) and Choiseul (Terry Robinson).
Leading contenders for the $18,000 Ord Minnett Sapphire Coast Cup over 2200m include Billybougg from the Canberra stable of Keith Dryden, Star Hawk trained by Mick Smith at Queanbeyan and Gee Eff Cee trained by Greg McFarlane.
The best guide to Bega Cup form will be provided by the Bega Cup Calcutta to be conducted by the Bega Roosters football club at Grand Hotel, Bega, from 7pm tomorrow evening.
Tickets in the draw are still available from Bega Roosters committee members or Grand Hotel.
Bega Cup day will feature a Fashions on the Field competition with the major prizes including accommodation stays in Sydney and Ulladulla.
There will also be a range of prizes to be won by joining in the Punters Club on course with the Mounting Yard Mail to be provided by Racing and Sports editor Chris Scholtz and Sky Channel’s John Scorse.
Gates open at 11.30am with the first local race at 1.25pm.
Free buses will run to the course from Eden, Pambula, Merimbula, Tura Beach and from Bega and Tathra.
