BRISBANE - Champion jockey Larry Cassidy says he believes two Sydney three-year-olds are the top chances in today's $A500,000 Doomben Cup, and it could be track conditions that determine which prevails.
One of the three-year-olds in the 2020m weight-for-age group one race is Cassidy's mount Freemason while the other is the favourite Shogun Lodge.
Cassidy said each time he assessed the 12-horse field he kept coming back to two runners.
"Definitely Shogun Lodge and myself, depending on what the track conditions are like, of course," said Cassidy.
"If it's a wet track Shogun Lodge is going to be less effective."
Track conditions could be firm or easy if yesterday's fine weather continued, but overnight rain was forecast.
Cassidy said Freemason, trained by John Hawkes, had the ability to cope with different track conditions.
"I think the horse is on the improve and he handles all track conditions," he said.
Freemason has produced two top runs in three-year-old races since finishing well back in the AJC Derby in Sydney in April.
The Grand Lodge colt won the $A200,000 Packer Plate (2000m) at Randwick in Sydney on May 6 and last Saturday in Brisbane was second in the $A200,000 Grand Prix Stakes (2000m) at Eagle Farm.
In the latter event Freemason carried the second topweight of 57kg but under the weight-for-age scale of today's race, he drops to 54.5kg.
Cassidy, who is in line to win the Sydney jockeys' premiership for the third season in succession, said Freemason was shaping into a top long-distance performer.
"He's going to be a very good stayer. He hasn't been that genuine sometimes by wanting to hang and has over-raced other times.
"But now he is relaxing in his races when you ride him quietly and you can make a long, sustained run on him."
Shogun Lodge, also by Grand Lodge, was yesterday listed as the 3-1 favourite and is the mount of the Shane Dye.
The gelding has earnings of $A1.7 million and has won seven races from 22 starts. But all the wins have been on firm tracks and from seven starts on rain-affected footing his only form is a solitary third placing.
Freemason was being quoted at odds of 4-1 but just ahead of him to be the second favourite at 7-2 was New Zealand-trained mare Integrate from the Matamata stable of Mark Walker.
Integrate has blossomed in Brisbane to post two top runs in weight-for-age company. She won the group three $A100,000 Labour Day Cup (2020m) at Doomben on May 1 and was second to Shogun Lodge in the $A199,000 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast on May 17.
Another leading New Zealand chance is the Roger James-trained Cronus at 5-1.
The lightly-raced gelding was second to Georgie Boy in the group one $A750,000 weight-for-age Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on May 6.
That was the horse's only race this campaign but it has been a deliberate ploy by James, who believes Cronus performs best at the first three starts of each campaign.
One of the outsiders in the Doomben Cup is New Zealand mare Cruzeiro, who has joined the Gold Coast stables of former New Zealand trainer and rider Maurice Campbell for winter racing in Brisbane before being retired to stud in the spring.
Campbell said it was owner Jack Georgetti's decision to start Cruzeiro in the Doomben Cup but he added she may not be as forlorn a chance as her odds of 33-1 suggest.
"It's not that great a field," said Campbell.
"I've seen a lot better weight-for-age races than that in Australia."
Cruzeiro is to be ridden by leading Brisbane jockey Michael Cahill, who also has the mount on Falvelon, the favourite for today's other group one feature the $A500,000 weight-for-age Doomben 10,000 (1350m).
"He's a lovely rider,' Campbell said.
"He's a nice quiet rider, has lovely hands and he'll suit Cruzeiro really well."
- NZPA
Racing: Doomben outcome depends on condition of track
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