Toowoomba trainer Michael Nolan is hoping Jumbo Prince can find his best form and bounce back with a victory in the Listed $175,000 Channel 7 Ipswich Cup (2150m) at Ipswich on Saturday.
Jumbo Prince, above, gets his chance to find the winner’s stall again in the Ipswich Cup at Ipswich. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Jumbo Prince was a winner three starts back when he took out the Listed $100,000 Singapore Turf Club Trophy (Members’ Handicap) (1600m) at Doomben on May 14 but has failed to fire at his last two starts.
The Outback Prince four year old was always well back at his next start when ninth to Mighty Lucky in the Group 3 $125,000 Programmed Property Services Lord Mayor’s Cup (1615m) at Doomben on May 28 and was never in the hunt again when fourteenth to Hopfgarten in the Listed $100,000 RadioTAB The Wayne Wilson Plate (1600m) at Eagle Farm last Saturday.
But Nolan thinks that Jumbo Prince is better suited in this class this week and is expecting him to be among the prizemoney.
“We set Jumbo Prince for this race all along,” Nolan told Racing Queensland News.
“He was a bit disappointing last run when he had the inside gate but things just didn’t pan out the way we expected.
“He was then caught wide and only ran on fairly.
“He’s a good horse but Black-Type races are hard to win.”
Brisbane’s leading jockey Jim Byrne has been aboard Jumbo Prince at his last three starts and has the ride again in the Ipswich Cup.
Betting at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Ipswich Cup has Jumbo Prince marked as an $8.50 chance while the David Vandyke trained Maurus heads the market order at $2.45.
Others in the mix are the Chris Waller trained Dance Of Heroes at $5.50, top weight Puccini and Sunshine Coast galloper Worthy Cause at $6 and Peter Robl’s Iggi Pop at $7.50.
Maurus is dropping back from Group 1 company and will find this a lot easier than his last start fifth to Our Ivanhowe in the Group 1 $650,000 Hardy Brothers Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben on May 21.
At his previous start Maurus scored a soft win over Volkhere and Ipswich Cup rival Instrumentalist in a 2200m Handicap at Doomben on April 30.
Ipswich Cup market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.45 Maurus, $5.50 Dance Of Heroes, $6 Worthy Cause, Puccini, $7.50 Iggi Pop, $8.50 Jumbo Prince, $26 Instrumentalist, $41 Nissile, $61 Meru, Kurrajong Dragon.
