Trainer Gerald Ryan is hoping Adnocon’s good winter form will continue when the six year old lines up in the Listed $80,000 Tattersall’s Mile (1600m) at Eagle Farm tomorrow.
Gerald Ryan is hoping Adnocon's (pictured outside) good winter form will continue in the Tattersall's Mile - photo © Daniel Costello
Ryan has been rewarded with another successful Queensland Winter Carnival campaign with Adnocon when he added the Listed $80,000 PMP Ascot Handicap (1200m) at Eagle Farm on July 7 to his two Eye Liner Stakes victories in 2010 and 2011.
“He loves Queensland and maybe there’s two reason’s why,” Ryan said.
“Maybe it’s the right level and also at this time of the year, even if the tracks are good they aren’t hard.”
“There’s the jar out of the tracks which help his feet and his joints.”
Even though Ryan admits that Adnocon is at the top of his game, the Rosehill trainer concedes that it will be hard to turn the tables on the Kelso Wood trained Belltone after finishing third to him in this year’s Listed $175,000 City Of Ipswich Eye Liner Stakes (1350m) at Ipswich on June 16.
Belltone is racing in outstanding form and went on to win the Listed $175,000 Reed Property Group Glasshouse Handicap (1400m) at the Sunshine Coast on June 30 giving premier jockey Chris Munce his one hundredth metropolitan winner for the season.
“It’s going to be hard to turn the tables on Belltone but the horse is very well,” Ryan said.
“He beat us at Ipswich and won well in the Glasshouse last start.”
“I don’t know what he’s like at 1600 but if ever he’s going to run it then it will probably be on Saturday.”
Ryan had to change plans for Adnocon half way through the Carnival because of the wet tracks, but the Tattersall’s Mile has always been on the agenda and isn’t concerned that the six year old is stepping up from 1200m to 1600m.
“The original plan was to run him in the Eye Liner and then the Glasshouse at the Sunshine Coast and then into this race,” Ryan said.
“When I didn’t run him on the heavy track I brought him back to the 1200 metres last week to have a race under his belt.”
Munce says that Belltone is looking for 1600m after his comfortable Glasshouse win but puts a question mark over the sharp climb in the weight he has to carry.
“It won’t be an issue,” Munce said.
“Throughout his last couple of preps he’s given us the impression he is looking for a mile and I think he’ll be a better horse at the distance.”
“He’s poorly weighted. He goes up 2.5kg on his Glasshouse win and meets Adnocon 2.5kg worse at the weights for beating him a half-length in the Eye Liner.”
As well as Adnocon, Munce also has respect for Grafton winner Carry Me Bluey who only has to carry 55.5kg compared with Belltone’s 59kg.
“At the weights, he’s the one,” he said. “I’ve had a bit to do with Carry Me Bluey and his win the other day at Grafton showed he was getting back to his best.”
But Munce was quick to add that he thought Belltone was the horse to beat.
“He’s lightly raced, has kept improving throughout his career and has class on his side,” he said.
