Buttons After Another Lucrative Cup
- Saturday, 27 November 2010 02:45
He may be coming off Moe and Kyneton Cup wins but trainer Mick Kent says Red Buttons needs to go to another level if he's to continue his winning run in the Canberra Cup.
"This is going to be a much harder race for him," Kent said.
Red Buttons arrived in the nation's capital on Saturday morning ahead of Sunday's $200,000 Listed Canberra Cup (2000m) in which he is the $6 second favourite behind Group One winner Rock Kingdom ($5).
Despite being in excellent winning form, Kent said it was difficult to gauge just where Red Buttons sat in the Canberra Cup equation.
"He certainly deserves a crack at the race but I can't line them up very well," the trainer said.
"He hasn't really beaten anything of note but he's a good, consistent, genuine horse and there's really nothing else left for him down here (in Victoria) at the moment."
Brad Rawiller rode Red Buttons to win at both Moe and Kyneton but with him riding in Perth at Saturday's Winterbottom Stakes meeting, big-race jockey Glen Boss will be in the saddle at Canberra.
Boss has won on Red Buttons in the past and also combined with Kent to win the Cranbourne Cup on Starmon last month.
"I really don't know how he (Red Buttons) will go against this quality of horses but he's worked well, he was originally from Sydney so he's raced that way of going, and he's got a good jockey," Kent said.
"I'm hopeful rather than expectant."
Six-year-old Red Buttons has played a major role in a successful Cups raid by Kent this spring.
My Bentley's win in last Sunday's Ballarat Cup added to the trainer's Cup success at Moe, Kyneton and Cranbourne.
Favourite Rock Kingdom, meanwhile, will be out to give Gai Waterhouse her fourth Canberra Cup following wins to Jay Bee Cee (1995), Regal Touch (2000) and So Assertive (2004).
Waterhouse's stable jockey Nash Rawiller has also tasted Canberra Cup success on Blutigeroo two years ago, and is out to claim a 2010 Canberra feature double having won the Black Opal Stakes on Decision Time in March.
Last year's winner Macknuckle is back to defend his crown and is third favourite at $7.50.
