Gulgong galloper Kookabaa will lay down his claims for the last remaining berth in the $1.3 million The Kosciuszko when he tackles Sunday's The Panorama at Bathurst.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The race carries an appealing $80,000 in prizemoney and acts as the perfect lead-up for The Kosciuszko that will be staged just under three weeks later at Royal Randwick on Saturday 17 October.
"Bathurst Cup Day is looking to be an exciting afternoon of racing and with record prizemoney on offer for The Panorama, we're expecting some fantastic racing during the day," Bathurst Thoroughbred Racing's general manager Michelle Tarpenning said..
All but one of the 14 slots have already been filled for The Kosciuszko with El Mo being snapped up on Friday, and trainer Brett Thompson is keen to show off his six-year-old and get him into the field.
Formerly prepared in the city, Thompson has found the key to the gelding with four wins, a second and a fourth from just six starts for the stable.
Kookabaa surprised as a $31 chance with a Canterbury Park win two starts back before running an outstanding race in the Vale Rick Worthington Handicap at Rosehill Gardens eight days ago.
The gelding hit the front halfway down the straight and was only grabbed 150m from the line when fourth in very strong company as a $61 shot.
High-class mare Fiteuse (winner of six races from nine starts) won the event, runner-up was Hilo (dual city winner) and third was Masked Crusader, an untapped galloper and one of the top fancies for the $7.5m Iron Jack The Golden Eagle.
Thompson has also entered Denace and Larynx for The Panorama.
Denace finished powerfully along the fence to score at Wellington on September 7 and has won two of her past three starts, having been successful at Gilgandra a couple of runs prior, while Larynx improved sharply at his second run from a four-month break.