By MATT NICHOLLS
BRAVE Ali is on track for the Armidale Cup after a scintillating victory in the Quirindi Cup on Friday.
Trained by Tamworth’s Craig Martin for a large contingent of Armidale owners, the seven-year-old gelding produced a gutsy performance to win the $35,000 race.
Armidale Jockey Club secretary Jim Dedes, who is one of the major shareholders in Brave Ali, said things were ticking along perfectly for the Armidale Cup on 17 March.
“Craig told us from the start that his first run back from a spell would be the Walcha Cup, before the Quirinidi Cup and then the Armidale Cup, which is the main race we wanted to win,” he said.
“It was a bonus to win the extra race along the way.”
Dedes has spent the last week on the lawn mower after the Armidale track took a liking to the recent rain.
“I saw there was a bit of rain forecast so I put some fertiliser down and it’s really taken off,” he said.
“If you looked at the track you wouldn’t know we’ve had such a dry summer.”
While Brave Ali won’t be seen at the races this Sunday, a host of good horses from the region will go around in the $25,000 Guyra Cup (1400m).
Traditionally, it’s been the main lead-up race to the Armidale Cup, but last year it was staged in November after a wash-out.
The other main race on the card is the Armidale Cup Prelude (1900m) of which the winner gets exemption from the Cup ballot.
GUYRA CUP NOMINATIONS: to come (need a column space left)
