Peter Clancy has enjoyed much success at Narrandera over the years, winning the Narrandera Cup in 1988 with Qualitary, 1996 with Tembu Star, and again in 2014 with Zarreig.
The Leeton trainer has also claimed victories in other Narrandera feature races, including the TC Lee Memorial Cup, LW Peacock Memorial Cups, and the Berrembed Station Cup.
On Saturday, he will be out to keep his good run going.
The Leeton trainer has four gallopers entered to race at Narrandera, and he’ll team up with his former apprentice and in-form country jockey Nick Heywood.
“Narrandera has been a great track,” Clancy said.
“It’s probably the best winter track in this area. It’s sandy based – the same as Corowa – and it’s a very good track to race on.”
Clancy will have Blount Country (Nick Heywood) and Theclan (Simon Miller) contesting the TC Lee OAM Memorial Cup, while Eastern Breeze (Nick Heywood) is entered in the 1000m Benchmark 50 Handicap and Jeddyla (Nick Heywood) is the third emergency in the 1400m Benchmark 50 Handicap.
Clancy likes the chances of Blount County in the TC Lee OAM Memorial Cup.
The five-year-old races well at Narrandera, running back-to-back Minor Placings at the Southern Districts race track in June before breaking through for a win on Narrandera Cup day when taking out the 1000m Maiden Plate
Despite finishing down the track at Corowa, Clancy said he was ready to fire at Narrandera.
“He likes the track, and he’s going well,” Clancy said.
“I think he is a horse on the up; he’s big and strong and has a bit of a future.”
Easter Breeze looks like a big chance in the five-furlong sprint, but the six-time winner will have to lug a mammoth 65kg.
“Eastern Breeze is suited a lot better at 1000m, but she has a hell of a lot of weight,” Clancy said.
“She’s handicapped up to her best, and it’s the right race for her, but the weight will make it hard.”
Still, Eastern Breeze will get every chance, with her jockey proving to be one of the best heavyweight hoops in the state.
“Nick is riding as good as anyone in the bush at the moment; he is a city-class rider, but the biggest problem is that he is so heavy,” Clancy said.
The pair go way back, with Clancy helping Heywood kick off his career, and the veteran trainer has much time for the talented hoop.
“We are fairly close; Nick, he is a terrific bloke,” Clancy said.
“He was apprentice to me when he left school, and when he was down at Yanco, I’d pick him up on the weekends.”
While Clancy and Heywood will be eyeing off a winner or two at Narrandera on Saturday, there will be plenty of competition on the six-race program.
A lot is happening off-track, too, with Narrandera hosting their luncheon and another bumper fashions on the field competition.
For more on the race day, click here.
For fields, click here.
