Little Chasing Third Hobart Cup Victory
- Sunday, 10 February 2008 00:00
Colin Little believes the chances of Ista Kareem giving him his third victory in the $400,000 Hobart Cup on Monday have been diminished by fine weather. The going was rated slow for Saturday's Tasmanian Derby meeting but the Caulfield trainer said he believed the track would be no worse than dead for the Cup.
"Unfortunately it's a nice fine day. We wanted a dreadful wet, wintry day," Little said.
"He's racing fairly, but the handicapper has been a bit tough on him."
Little won his first Hobart Cup with Palos Verdes, the dam of his 2007 Cox Plate winner El Segundo who is currently on the sidelines awaiting stem cell surgery for a tendon injury.
Last year he won the race with Blutigeroo who beat stablemate Rubijon.
Blutigeroo carried 57.5kg in the Group Three Cup (2200m) after receiving a 1kg penalty for winning over 2000m at Caulfield at his previous start under 57kg, also beating Rubijon in that race.
Ista Kareem ran fifth after racing wide behind $2.60 Hobart Cup favourite Offenbach in the equivalent Caulfield event last month, but has to carry topweight of 58.5kg.
The last horse to carry that weight or more to win the race was Knee High (59.5kg) in 1974.
"He has a kilo more than Blutigeroo carried last year. He's paid for his consistency last winter," Little said.
"He flew over at 1am on Friday and was unsettled for 24 hours. He's at David Brunton's and has been working on the beach."
"His last run was ordinary, but we're hoping for a fair bit of improvement over a bit more ground."
Danny Brereton, who rode Rubijon last year, will try to go one better aboard Ista Kareem.
Ista Kareem ran third in the 2006 Adelaide Cup when trained by Jeremy Gask who is now based in England.
He has won three of nine starts since joining the Little stable, over 1600m at Bendigo and over 2040m and 2500m at Moonee Valley.
He has also run two second placings including one to Hillston Exchange in the Listed Winter Championship Final (1600m) at Sandown.
But the seven-year-old hasn't been placed in four appearances this preparation.
Little rated the Darren Weir-trained Offenbach, to be ridden by dual Melbourne premiership winning jockey Craig Williams, as the horse to beat as he will carry 54kg - one kilo above the minimum.
"He may be slightly suspect at the trip, but he's weighted to win," he said.
Weir won the race with True Courser in 2006 and had last year's third placegetter Field Hunter.
A $1 million yearling who was later sold for as fraction of that price, Offenbach has been far more genuine since being belatedly gelded.
The Danehill five-year-old won a Class 2 Hcp (1620m) at Donald on Hobart Cup Day last year and has gone on to win five of his nine starts.
Craig Newitt will be after his third Hobart Cup success on the Mike Moroney-trained mare Lady Attire, a half-sister to 2002 Adelaide Cup winner The A Train, who has been placed at her past three starts at Moonee Valley, Caulfield and Flemington.
Newitt won on Zacielo in 2004 and True Courser.
Lunardi, prepared at Spreyton by David Cousins, and Charlie Goggin's dual Tasmanian St Leger winner Conquering are regarded as the best local hopes in the 15-horse field.
Lunardi is chasing a hat-trick following victories in the Devonport Cup (1800m) and the Ingham Jockey Club Cup (2100m) at Hobart last month.
PIC - Quentin Lang.
