Hawkesbury trainer Garry White will attempt to write himself into the history books when he brings Letter to Juliette to Towac Park for Friday’s $65,000 Inland Digital Orange Showcase Gold Cup (2100m).
White is chasing his fourth Gold Cup having previously won with Aussie Statesman twice and Peaceful Joe as well.
“I’ve also finished second on three occasions so the Orange Cup has been a great race to me,” White told Racing NSW.
Letter to Juliette hasn’t had much luck in her past four starts after winning at Hawkesbury over 1800 back in January, although she hasn’t finished further back than fourth since.
“She’s an honest mare but things just haven’t gone her way since she won (at Hawkesbury),” White said.
“Four runs back in the Bathurst Cup she had her hind legs taken from under her as they turned for home.
"She finished fourth but was only beaten a long head and a head and should have won.”
White then took her to the city for a 1900-metre race at Canterbury Park where jockey Tye Angland took off 650 out, dashed clear, but was grabbed in the final two strides by Domed.
“The horse that beat her has since run second (to The Pinnacle) in [the Group 3 Epona Stakes] so it’s very strong form.
“I then stepped her up 500 metres in journey to 2400 probably a little too early at Kembla Grange, and after looking the winner, she just tired the final 50 when fourth (to Multitude).”
Last start Letter to Juliette again headed to the city and she fought on doggedly when third to Mazaz, again in a 2400-metre event at Warwick Farm.
She’s an honest mare but things just haven’t gone her way since she won (at Hawkesbury).
- Garry White
“She probably could have been ridden a bit more conservatively but still ran a nice race,” White said.
Letter to Juliette has been a model of consistency, recording two wins and seven placings from her 15 starts and will relish heading back to the country from metropolitan grade.
Nominations for the feature meet were released on Monday morning, with White also set to bring And So It Goes back to Towac Park, a track she loves, in the Train 365 Cup Day Showcase Sprint (1000m).
The mare won on Thursday at Hawkesbury and in her three runs prior to that she picked up back-to-back wins and then a third finish, all at Orange.
Of the rest of the Gold Cup nominations, Orange’s Michael Plummer is set to release stayer Bathurstian just six days after he broke his drought in Wellington.
Mudgee trainer Cameron Crockett has also nominated Kingsbridge, also a last-start winner. Although the gelding has predominantly been a mile-runner, he breezed through a 400-metre step up at Mudgee on March 31.
Plummer has a number of other chances nominated, while fellow Orange trainers Alison Smith, Lee Van Den Bos and Sonja Sharp have also thrown their hats in the ring.
The final fields for the eight-race feature meet will be released on Wednesday.
