River Black will break fresh ground if he can win the Tuapeka Cup for the second time at Forbury Park tomorrow.
No horse has won the Tuapeka Cup twice since it was first staged in 1993. River Black is off a 20m handicap tomorrow, 10m further back than last year. Mark Jones again has the drive. Jones has also won the race with Black Eyed Bailey (2000) and Grenfell Robyn (2005) for Dean Taylor, the trainer of River Black.
River Black began his 5yr-old season with a win at Addington.
He has had two subsequent starts and finished second to Lord Mamaduke at Forbury Park on October 4.
Lord Mamaduke is in the field tomorrow, off a 30m handicap.
Mighty Silks (1993), Nero's Charger (1995), Anvils Best Ever (2010) and Highview Tommy (2009) have won the Tuapeka Cup from 20m handicaps. Black Eyed Bailey started from 25m and Roman Gladiator (2007) won from 45m.
Shane Walkinshaw has the drive on Christian Ruler with trainer, Hamish Hunter heading to Ashburton with Franco Ledger for the Flying Stakes on Monday.
• Graeme Anderson, the Westwood trainer, has been licensed as an amateur driver.
He was to have driven Little Joe tomorrow but the 9yr-old has been scratched. Little Joe has swelling in a leg which did not respond to treatment from trainers Geoff and Jude Knight.
Anderson had five race drives as a graduation reinsman between 2005 and 2009.
• Mark Hills will not be riding at Rotorua today or the Waikato meeting on Monday after being injured at the Waipa trials yesterday.
Additional information for meetings today:Racing Rotorua:Riders:Race 1: Deo Volente - O Bosson.
Race 5: Vuela - S Collett.
Scratchings:Race 2: Beautiful Brother, He Sure Is.
Race 3: Jack Romanov.
Race 6: Rough Odds.
Race 9: Splitfire.
Weather, overcast; track, dead (6); rail true.
Wanganui JC:Riders:Race 3: Kings Court - B Lammas; Lucky Spur - C Lammas; Daltoray - T Baker (4).
Scratchings:Race 1: Fantamo.
Race 3: Don't Dilly Dally, I Am Leo.
Race 5: Annhee Saplaya.
Race 6: Authentic Desire.
Weather, fine; track, good (3); rail out 4m.
