Home-track hoop Mathew Cahill is hopeful a drop back in grade will help Manatassee return to the winner’s circle at Cowra on Saturday.
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Cahill will ride the six-year-old in the Ronald McDonald House Orange Fillies and Mares Benchmark 55 Handicap (1100m) and believes her racing pattern will be suited around Cowra.
And he should know. Not only is Cowra his home surface but he has ridden Manatassee in 10 of her 34 race starts.
“She’s a speedy mare who usually leads, or at worst sits in the top three, and that is where you usually need to be at Cowra,” Cahill said.
“Every time (trainer) Darryl (Rolfe) had dropped her back in grade she seems to perform well.
“She’s been doing most of her racing around Canberra, but on Saturday she drops back to a Cowra Tier 2 TAB meeting.
“She’s got a wide gate and a big weight, but her speed should be able to offset the barrier and she’s a big mare, so the weight hopefully won’t be an issue.”
Another of Cahill’s top rides on Saturday will be Long Lasting, which runs in the Cowra Motor Inn Benchmark 55 Handicap.
Another speedy type, Long Lasting is trained by Kylie Kennedy at Narromine but runs into a reasonable race.
“There’s a few in it that go okay – Prattler, Sarona Downs, Smart Attire and Redirect – but he’s another one that should go forward and put himself in a good spot through the run.”
After Saturday’s meeting Cahill will travel to Moruya on Monday to reunite with Wellington Boot winner Lucy Rose before he fronts an appeal at Wagga on Tuesday in an attempt to get a recent two-week suspension overturned.
While his appeal against the suspension incurred at Wagga on July 9 is a throw at the stumps, Cahill said he was happy to be getting back aboard Lucy Rose the day prior
“I haven’t been going to Moruya much because it is such a big drive, but when Joe Cleary said he was taking her down there I said I’d go,” he said.
“Sometimes you have to do a bit of travel to stay on these handy ones.
“She showed how good she is when she won the Boot, and Joe is happy with her so hopefully I can get her and a couple of others home before I have the appeal hearing on Tuesday.”
Six races are set down for Cowra, with the first scheduled for 12.43pm and the last to leave the gates at 3.58pm.