{"id":160739,"date":"2016-10-13T21:53:43","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T11:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=160739"},"modified":"2020-10-02T13:02:45","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T03:02:45","slug":"duff-seeks-another-wondai-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/10\/13\/duff-seeks-another-wondai-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Duff Seeks Another Wondai Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Second was daylight … favourite Fasta Than Light, ridden by Wayne O’Connell, won the Wondai Cup by a hefty six and three-quarter lengths last year<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Gunsynd's<\/a>October 13, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pat Duff, the conditioner who picked up last year\u2019s Roy and Glenis Radunz Wondai Cup with Fasta Than Light, aims to make it two in row on Saturday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The veteran Deagon based trainer, who kicked off his career at Wondai, has the top weight Unbowed in the $10,000 BM 65 event over a testing 1465 metre journey.<\/p>\n

Hannah English will partner the seven-year-old gelding whose parents Refuse to Bend and Deadly Nightshade were both born in Ireland.<\/p>\n

Unbowed has been successful at provincial level and will appreciate the step down from the class of some recent Eagle Farm outings.<\/p>\n

Although yet to start on the sand, the bay has a good record on heavy and soft surfaces and five of his six wins to date have been over the metric seven furlongs trip.<\/p>\n

Among Duff\u2019s long list of victories in feature contests are two Prime Minister\u2019s Cups.<\/p>\n

He took out the staying version of the Gold Coast race in 1980 with Our Cavalier, and followed up with the sprint edition in 2006 courtesy of the Dodge gelding Hard To Catch.<\/p>\n

The latter was a logical and inexpensive acquisition for Duff.<\/p>\n

For $20,000 he got his hands on the the grandson of Ashton Beauty, the full sister to Duff\u2019s grand grey Handsome Prince.<\/p>\n

Hard To Catch\u2019s 77 tasks, with a 13-7-9 podium occupancy, returned a tidy $1,177,600.<\/p>\n

Among Duff\u2019s huge trophy collection are Bay Legend\u2019s Queensland Cup and the Toowoomba Cups taken out by Hard Case and Akbar Tabita.<\/p>\n

Fasta Than Light clearly enjoys presentation ceremonies: his haul also includes a Bundaberg Cup and a Gympie Muster Cup.<\/p>\n

Duff is in the running to earn the Gympie Turf Club\u2019s $5,000 Three Cups Trainer\u2019s Bonus that will be finalised with the outcome of the $20,000 River Junction Gympie Cup at the Southside course on October 22.<\/p>\n

The Cup is brimful of interest.<\/p>\n

Burnett based contenders include the Nanango duo Lucks In and Decillion, the Bundaberg pair and last year\u2019s minor placegetter Famechon Baroness.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Hard To Catch – pictured with Brad Stewart – won the 2006 Prime Minster’s Cup for the Pat Duff stable (Photo: Ross Stanley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Other Wondai Races To Watch<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The opener, the G. Crumpton & Sons Maiden Plate (850m), is an absolute lottery, with six of the hopefuls yet to be placed. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Two candidates are former Victorians making their Queensland debut – the unraced Freestone and Penny A Pinch (with a 2: 0-1-0 form line) are acceptors from Sheree Mcewan\u2019s Goondiwindi yard.<\/p>\n

Miss Alexandra is resuming in the MHS Class Reunion (Class B, 850m) for Blackbutt\u2019s Wayne Farrington.<\/p>\n

The Shovhog mare proved her liking for the sand with successive victories at Wondai and Bundaberg in April.<\/p>\n

The highlight of the Generation Funerals Open (1100m) will be seeing if Shoulda to Shoulda can win his ninth race on non-turf tracks.<\/p>\n

He has scored seven times at Gympie and once at Wondai.<\/p>\n

Lindsay Anderson has taken the blinkers off and applied winkers in his attempt to secure Glenthorn Avenue\u2019s third success at Wondai.<\/p>\n

The bay, by Bel Esprit, meets Shoulda to Shoulda slightly better in the weights than was the case when he was ten lengths adrift of the Chateau Istana gelding at Gympie over 1170 metres late last month.<\/p>\n

For the Ken Dowd MP QTIS BM 55 (1100m), Glenn Richardson will leg Jason Hoopert aboard Hopetoun Street, the stable\u2019s last start Gympie winner whose main opposition could come from King Khan, the Bundaberg sprinter with strong sand form at home and at Gladstone.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A Caulfield Cup Comment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Punters are faced with their annual springtime Cups dilemma: some, most or all of the hitherto unsighted internationals all have claims on form and reputation. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Each year some are able to handle the long trek out, a change of seasons, a new type of track and race bustling that is tighter than they normally experience.<\/p>\n

Although spruikers sing their praises, the market is probably a better guide to making final betting decisions.<\/p>\n

And perhaps the best advice is to run with your own intuition.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Vale Bill Oliver<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There will be a tribute to Bill Oliver in this column next week. Condolences meanwhile are extended to his large family and countless friends.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The funeral service for the former race caller and columnist will be conducted at St Mary\u2019s Church in Kingaroy on Friday, October 14 at 11:00am.<\/p>\n