Leading Cairns trainer Trevor Rowe is tipping his veteran staying Mukaddamah Son can cause a major boilover in Saturday’s $75,000 Red Beret Hotel Cairns Cup (2100m) at Cannon Park in Cairns.
Mukaddamah Son, above, is the outsider of the Cairns Cup field. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Mukaddamah Son is rated a $101 chance for the Cairns Cup at Ladbrokes.com.au and Rowe is leaning to the eleven year old gelding over his other runner Great Pretender because he has winning form over the Cairns Cup distance.
“I think Mukaddamah Son will improve out of sight and I just favour him because he’ll definitely run the distance,” Rowe told Racing Queensland News.
Mukaddamah Son’s recent race form looks ordinary on paper with a fourth two starts back in a 1400m Handicap at Cairns on July 18 but Rowe said that his last start fourteenth to Chivadahlii in the $100,000 Mater Townsville Cup (2000m) at Cluden Park in Townsville on July 29 wasn’t as bad as it looked.
“He ran fourth for his first run for me in Cairns then in the Townsville Cup he was never better than three and four wide, so it wasn’t a bad run,” Rowe said.
Shohei Kaya is again on Mukaddamah Son who has drawn barrier nine in the thirteen horse Cairns Cup field while Rowe’s other runner, Great Pretender, has drawn wider at twelve with regular rider John Lambie taking the mount again.
Great Pretender has won four times on the Cannon Park track but is yet to win beyond 1900m which is not a great concern for Rowe.
“Great Pretender has been a very good horse and has raced his way into open company over the past twelve months,” Rowe said.
“This is his first shot at 2100m but I’m confident he’ll run it.”
“I was worried he might not make the field with his rating but he’s in now.”
Great Pretender is also unwanted in the betting at $21 and a win by either of Rowe’s roughies will give the leading trainer back to back victories in the Cairns Cup after collecting the winning trophy last year with the ill-fated Chateau Dettori.
“Chateau Dettori would have been set for this race again but unfortunately he had an accident in March going onto the track.”
“He chipped a bone which had to be removed and then got post-surgical colic and couldn’t be saved.”
Townsville Cup winner Chivadahlii heads the Cairns Cup market order at $2 with Ladbrokes.com.au just ahead of the Errol Sewell trained Flying Light at $2.40 in what appears to be a two horse race with the next in the betting being Ranked and The Lynches at $18.
