The Barbara Joseph, Paul and Matt Jones team are set for a busy Sunday as they prepare for two different Country Cups some 550 kilometres apart.
Venturing into the Western Districts, the stable will have last-start winner She’s All In (Braith Nock) contesting the $40,000 Three Rivers Machinery Narromine Cup (1600m) at 4.05 pm.
Ten minutes later, at 4.15 pm, the team will be racing a touch closer to home, with Nieces And Nephews (Beany Panya) taking on the $30,000 Tomakin Sports and Social Club South Coast Clubs Cup (1425m) at Moruya.
With Matt Jones away enjoying the Broome Cup festivities, Paul Jones explained that getting the two horses to the races would be on him.
“My brother is on a racing tour in Broome, so there’s no chance of him getting back in time,” Paul laughed.
“So, I’ll head to Narromine with She’s All In, and I’ll probably lean on a co-trainer down here to strap Nieces And Nephews, and he’ll go with Neil Osborne.”
Both appear to be live chances, but Jones is leaning towards Nieces And Nephews as his best chance.
The Zariz gelding raced in brilliant form last preparation, winning the Hair of the Dog Cup at Gundagai, the Cooma Cup, and Fred Cooper Cup.
After a well-deserved spell, the eight-year-old resumed at Kembla Grange earlier this month, finishing fourth in the 1400m Benchmark 64 Handicap,
“He’s going good, and it was a really good run at Kembla,” Jones said.
“He’s been really well; he is an easy horse to ride, and you can put an apprentice on him, and you don’t have to worry because he shows them what to do.”
Nieces And Nephews has drawn wide with gate ten and will carry 59.5kg after Panya’s 1.5kg claim, and there’s no secret to where the Canberra galloper will be in the running.
“Everyone knows what he will do; he is an out-and-out leader, so they let him go forward, and he’ll be running them along.
“Plus, there is a bit of moisture in the air, which will have the track perfect for him.”
She’s All In has to be considered a decent chance after finding some good form last start when boulting in for an easy win in the 1750m TAB Federal at Canberra earlier this month.
The Casino Prince mare draws nicely with gate two and will only carry 53kg after Nock’s two-kilogram claim.
“We were struggling to get her out past the mile, and she had those five starts at 1400m, which didn’t suit, and we had her ready for the Narrandera Cup, which is over 1600m, but she got balloted out,” Jones said.
“There were no mile handicaps after that, but then we found that race at Canberra, and we were supremely confident that she would run a good race, and when they put up the price ($13) they did, we were happy with that.”
Jones explained that he was looking to get the eight-year-old over a bit more ground and that the Narromine Cup popped up at the right time.
There is a 1900m race at the end of the synthetic season at Canberra, and we’ll look for her to go in that race, and I was looking around for another 1400m race to keep her ticking over, but when I saw the Narromine race, I thought bugger it, I’ll hop in the float and take her there.”
While the Joseph-Jones team will no doubt be busy, it’s another big Sunday of Country Cup racing at Narromine and Moruya.
For more on the Narromine meeting, click here.
For Narromine fields, click here.
For more on the Moruya meeting, click here.
For Moruya fields, click here.
