Rosehill Gardens hosts the 66th running of the Listed $160,000 Winter Cup on Saturday as part of the Australian Turf Club’s series of winter middle distance and staying events across June.
Saturday’s 10-race card has attracted 144 entries with the Listed Winter Cup followed in coming weeks by the Listed $160,000 W J McKell Cup at Rosehill Gardens on June 17 and $150,000 Stayers Cup at Royal Randwick over 2600m on June 24.
Sydney’s 12-time premiership winning trainer Chris Waller has a strong hand in Saturday’s feature with three runners including the early favourite with online bookmakers Al Aabir ($3.50-$3.70) with jockey Kerrin McEvoy.
Chris Waller has won three of the past nine runnings of the Winter Cup and also has Desert Icon (Brett Prebble) $8-$7.50 and Shameless Miss (Kathy O’Hara) $15-$16 in the race on the stable’s home track.
Jockey Kerrin McEvoy rode Niwot to victory in the 2009 Winter Cup before that horse went on to win a Sydney Cup – a double also completed in recent years by Knights Order (2021 Winter Cup and 2022 Sydney Cup).
Jockey Sam Clipperton for trainer Annabel Neasham rides second favourite Spirit Ridge ($6 Fixed).
Clipperton rode the remarkable Destiny’s Kiss to victory in the Winter Cup in 2019 some six years after that horse won his own first Winter Cup at Rosehill Gardens.
Race one is due to start at 11am with the final race to be run at 4.20pm.
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