Ready To Humble – already a qualifier for the $2 million The Big Dance at Randwick on Melbourne Cup day – is poised for a winning return in country class for the Narrandera Cup on Sunday.
Trainer Nick Olive has Ready To Humble ($ favourite on TAB) and Invincible Dash shaping ($5) as two of the leading chances for the feature race over 1600 metres.
Record prizemoney of $250,000 and a race record high of $40,000 for the Cup has attracted added interest across the eight races for the Showcase meeting.
Ready To Humble is one of the qualifiers for The Big Dance in November after winning the Gundagai Snake Gully Cup.
Olive has a leaning towards Ready To Dash over Invincible Dash on the strength of his last four starts at Rosehill and Randwick which have produced two fourths and as many sixths.
The drop back to country class from Saturday metropolitan grade and the increase in distance to 1600 metres appear suitable for the five-year-old.
The winner of $217,000 will carry 59 kilograms after the claim for apprentice jockey Damon Budler who has just returned to race riding after a lengthy absence.
Senior jockey Brendan Ward will ride Invincible Dash who has been placed in the Nowra and Gooree Cups in recent starts.
"Ready To Humble is back to country grade and can race on the speed, while Invincible Dash is racing well in country class and will settle about midfield," he said. "Ready To Humble has the better recent form having been competitive in Saturday Sydney grade.
"He is looking for a bit further distance now because last start they ran along at strong clip and he was uncomfortable holding his position over 1400 metres."
Ready To Humble indicated he was set for a strong campaign when fourth in the Wagga Town Plate over 1200 metres at his first start this campaign. The five-year-old has previously raced against Invincible Dash (third) when they were placed in the Cootamundra Cup over 1600 metres in October.
Intuition ($7.50) – the winner of over $500,000 - has been placed at two of his past three starts in provincial grade and is well suited in the country cups. The seven-year-old last had success at Hawkesbury in April of 2019 and has been competitive in better races than he faces on Sunday.
Honest mare Dolphina ($14) failed at her latest start at Rosehill and the return to country class after recent wins at Albury and Wagga is more suitable.
Power Me Up won last year's Narrandera Cup for trainer Mitch Beer who is hoping for first-up success on Sunday with stable newcomer and last start winner, Zidler ($7.50).
