Promising gelding Pinstripe Lane is set to return to Queensland for the 2015 Caloundra Cup after he was included in the nominations for the Listed event that will be held at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.
Pinstripe Lane is set to contest the 2015 Caloundra Cup at the Sunshine Coast this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart
Pinstripe Lane was sent to Queensland for the Winter Racing Carnival last year and he produced the two best performances of his racing career to date to finish second in both the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) at Doomben on May 24 and the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 7, but he has been unable to recapture that form since returning to Victoria.
The Pins gelding finished at the tail of the field in both the Le Pine Funerals Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on September 20 and the Group 3 David Jones Cup (2000m) at the same venue on October 18 during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival before he made a slow start to his autumn campaign in the Hashtag Handicap at Bendigo on March 21.
Pinstripe Lane produced a much improved performance to finish fourth in the Ross Stevenson Trophy (1600m) at Flemington on April 11 and he recorded another good effort when fourth behind Tooleybuc Kid in the Pakenham Cup (2000m) on April 26.
The Group 3 Chairman’s Quality (2400m) is set to be a key form guide to the Caloundra Cup and the likes of Index Linked, Perplexity, Sir John Hawkwood, Tremec and Volkhere are set to back-up from the Group 3 event.
Volkhere finished a game third behind Epingle and Index Linked in the Chairman’s Quality and he backed up a week later to chase Pornichet home in the Toowoomba Cup (2150m) in Toowoomba on May 2 – form that was franked when Pornichet recorded a dominant victory in the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) last weekend.
Index Linked found himself in the wrong part of the track when he finished second behind Epingle in the Chairman’s Quality and he will have the chance to return to winning form when he steps up to 2400 metres for the first time since he finished tenth behind Banca Mo in the Listed Mornington Cup (2400m) on March 28.
Veteran gelding Back To Abilene, Easter Cup runner-up Escado, eight-year-old Freton, the Wayne Walters-trained duo of Holly Holy and Luckzat, last start winner Kobi Creek, promising mare Monaco Doll, the out of form Ongoing Venture, Ben Currie-trained Supercoach and imported galloper Wimpole Street.
