Ryan Wiggins is going into Saturday’s $150,000 Mackay Cup (2000m) quietly confident that he can win the race for a second consecutive year.
Last year, the Brisbane-based jockey won aboard Peter & Will Hulbert’s Hail Manhattan, but this time he will partner Jared Wehlow’s North Afrika.
The flashy chestnut was the star of the 2020 North Queensland Winter Carnival without winning a feature race, but he was able to string four-straight wins together in lesser races at Cup Day meetings in Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns.
Wehlow had the option to start his seven-year-old in the Rockhampton Cup on July 9, but he opted to target the Mackay feature instead.
“They’ve pinned this race for this season,” Wiggins told HorseBetting.
“They dodged Rocky, probably because it was a bit too soon for him – it was gonna be a hard race and Mackay is always weaker – but for this prep, they elected to go to this race.
“He got beaten the other day in an open-company race, but he had a lot of weight and he was second-up over 1560m. He still ran well and he was there for a long way.
“Hopefully, on Saturday he can win the (Mackay) Cup.”
In 2020, North Afrika just missed a start in each of the North Queensland Cup races due to having an insufficient rating, so connections will be hoping that he can make up for lost time in 2022.
The son of Starcraft has won 10 races and finished in the minor money on a further 15 occasions, banking over $260,000 in prizemoney along the way, so he has well and truly earned his spot in Saturday’s event.
“We were trying to get him in the Cups races (in 2020), but his ratings were short, so it was a bit unlucky,” Wiggins said.
“He’s going well. He’s obviously coming back from a setback – he had a fair lay off, but Jared seems to think he’s got him right now which is good.”
Drawn beautifully in barrier six, North Afrika will be able to use his natural early pace to race handy to the speed, but Wiggins insists he isn’t the one-trick pony we once knew.
Now in the twilight of his career, North Afrika has learned to settle a bit more in his races, making him a genuine threat on Saturday as he gets to 2000m third-up.
“He’ll role forward – there’s a little bit of speed there, but he doesn’t have to lead,” Wiggins said.
“He was pretty kind the other day. It was really good to see him settle a bit – he’s got a bit more mature, he used to go a bit severe.
“It was always a struggle when he got to 1600 or 1800m whether you could actually hold him to take a sit, but he seemed to be a lot more settled the other day, which is a good thing too.”
Wiggins will also partner Fire King in the $50,000 Whitsunday Guineas at Mackay on Saturday, and he is confident he can take that race out aboard the classy three-year-old.
While the Olivia Cairns-trained gelding will have to give his rivals a lot of weight, the jockey believes the step out to 1560m will help his winning chances.
“I think I’ve only won one race on him and about five or six seconds and thirds,” he said.
“This is his race, this is what they’ve set him for. Barrier two – he’s finally drawn a gate.
“He’s desperately looking for the distance, I think, so that’ll be interesting to see how it goes.
“Obviously he’s the class horse in the race, so he’s got to carry a bit more weight than the other horses, but I think he definitely deserves to be carrying that sort of weight.”
More horse racing news
