Despite being ranked as the favourite in
all early market the Tony Noonan trained gelding Yammer is no certainty for the Group One
Adelaide Cup following his run at Morphettville tomorrow.
Noonan said he was "shocked" when
the weights for the Cup were released showing Yammer would be asked to carry 56 kilograms.
The main issue Noonan had with the
handicappers judgement was the fact only a half kilogram separated his galloper with the
proven two miler Mr. Prudent (56.5kg).
"Mr. Prudent is a winner of the Sydney
Cup and was nosed out this year again in the same race," Noonan said.
"My horse only won his first Group
race, the (Group Three) Rain Lover Plate, at Victoria Park the other day. I can't work it
out," he added.
Noonan said he felt his gelding has been
well and truly handicapped past his best and he would give serious consideration into
skipping the Adelaide two-miler in preference to Brisbane's equivalent.
"He is a definite to go around
tomorrow (in the Carlton Draught Stakes), but whether we run him in the Cup in Adelaide
could depend on what weight he gets in Brisbane."
"If I feel he is better treated there
he would head there," Noonan said. "He's only a lightly framed galloper and
couldn't handle the two big races in the same preparation at this stage."
Meanwhile, Noonan feels his classy filly
Donna Natalia has a strong chance of giving him a feature race double at Morphettville
tomorrow.
The former brilliant Sydney juvenile will
be running in a hot field in the Group Two Yallambee Classic and her trainer is quietly
confident despite a seemingly horrendous draw.
"Speaking with (former champion
jockey) Johnny Letts he feels being out there (in her wide barrier) might actually be an
advantage, so I guess I can take something positive from it," Noonan said.
"I'm expecting here to be in the
finish," he predicted.
PIC - Jenny Barnes. |
