2019 Ceduna Cup winner Eye The World will be looking to replicate his efforts in last year’s feature when he lines up in Saturday’s edition.
The Ryan Dawson trained gelding was way too good for his rivals last year, storming home to record a seven length victory. The ten-year-old will be lining up in start number 103 on the weekend and while he may be one of the older horses getting around in Australia, there is no doubt he loves the Ceduna track. He’s never missed a placing at the track and was third in December’s Thevenard Cup behind It’s Humphrey and Dance of Heroes. He gets a positive swing in the weights from that race and he’s still in good form, running second in a BM80 at Port Lincoln late last year.
Dawson’s other runner Dance of Heroes is another veteran of the country circuit with ten wins from his 91 career starts. He ran second in the Thevenard Cup in December and has featured in the placings three times this campaign since joining the Dawson stable from the Kylie McKerlie yard. He finished third last start in BM80 company at Port Lincoln and will get a very handy 4kg claim from apprentice Lizzie Annells who partnered him here in December.
Another horse who really loves visiting Ceduna is Trevor Trenowden’s It’s Humphrey. He’s the 2018 and 2019 Thevenard Cup winner at the track and was runner up in last year’s Ceduna Cup. His last two runs at Port Lincoln have been solid but he does rise a lot in the weights from his Thevenard Cup win. While he will carry 61kg, he’s a horse that’s honest as the day is long and will have plenty of admirer’s trackside.
If there is one trainer who knows a thing or two about training a Ceduna Cup winner, it’s Simon Drewitt. He claimed the 2018 Cup with Revengeful and the 2016 Cup with Testate. He’ll saddle up Gottabiton who has struggled in his last three runs at Port Lincoln after winning his previous two. Off recent form he’s hard to recommend but his trainer knows what it takes to win this race.
The real inform horse of the race is John Hickmott’s Abbi Fede. He’s had two wins and a second in his last five starts and won his only start at the track at the December meeting. He claimed a BM60 race over 1300m that day with ease, winning by 6 lengths under the guidance of Brendan Sweeney. The two team up once again and could give this race a big shake in the form they are in.
While his handicap rating suggests he can’t win, you simply can’t argue with Keep Digging’s form at Ceduna. He’s is two from two at the track and will be ridden by the visiting John Keating. It would probably take a career best run from the gelding to win but crazy things can happen in big races.
Selections:
- Eye The World 2. Abbi Fede 3. It’s Humphrey 4. Dance of Heroes
