FOR the past seven years Bathurst trainers and drivers have had a stranglehold on the annual Cherry Festival Cup and come Friday at Young, that streak could continue.
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Staged each year as the feature race of Young’s Carnival of Cups meeting, and as such carrying a handy $12,750 purse, the Cherry Festival Cup (2,100 metres) has attracted quality fields.
But it has been Bathurst region runners which have lifted the spoils time after time.
Avonnova, a horse which won almost $900,000 during its racing career, won the 2011 edition with The Lagoon’s Amanda Turnbull in the gig for her trainer-father Steve Turnbull. She also steered 2013 winner Im Blue Double Dee, and found success in 2016 with Parramatta.
READ MORE: Turnbull quinellas Bathurst feature
Ash Grives (Our El Nino, 2012), Bernie Hewitt (Passion For Aces, 2014) and Josh Turnbull (Lockton Luck, 2017) have had cup triumphs as well.
This Friday half of the field of 10 for the cup are Bathurst trained while two other runners will have Bathurst drivers in the gig.
Hewitt has drawn well in barrier two with Mackeral, a four-year-old which has finished in the top three his last six starts. He is rising sharply in grade, but is still a threat.
Nathan Turnbull’s Power Of Red is first up from a spell, but is likely to rank amongst the favourites given his strong Menangle Park form.
Chris Frisby, Amanda and Steve Turnbull also have runners.
