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Interstate runners are poised to show up the lack of depth in the Sydney staying ranks in the $125,000 Summer Cup at Rosehill on Boxing Day.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Imported French stayer Le Roi, prepared in South Australia by Tony McEvoy, and Brisbane stayer Poste Restante head the betting in a disappointing Group 3 field already reduced to seven by the early scratching of the Chris Waller-trained Lucripetous.
Sydney's form stayer Cantonese defected from the Summer Cup last week when his trainer Bjorn Baker elected to send him to WA for the Perth Cup on New Year's Day.
His absence along with the non-acceptance of last start Werribee Cup winner Unusual Suspect resulted in the weights for the Summer Cup having to be raised 4kg.
As a result, in what is surely a first for a handicap Group race in Sydney, all starters will compete at level weights carrying 58kg after all were originally weighted on the limit of 54kg.
Iggy Pop, beaten six lengths into second place by Cantonese in the Christmas Cup at Rosehill on December 14, and the Guy Walter-trained mare Brightest, runner-up in BM85 event over 2000m at Rosehill on December 7, are the local pair regarded as the best chances against the visitors.
Poste Restante's trainer Desleigh Forster is looking for her second Sydney feature win in five days after her classy sprinter Adebisi won the Listed Razor Sharp Quality at Warwick Farm last Saturday.
Poste Restante has won her last three starts in Brisbane and Forster is confident the mare can extend the sequence after coping well with her float trip to Sydney.
"She has travelled down well which is a relief because the problem with her is that she is a lightly-framed mare," Forster said.
"There's not much of her but she's a really nice mare. She's on the way up."
"She only wins by small margins but that's just her. For some reason she just seems to know where the post is.
Brisbane jockey Michael Cahill, who gave up the Adebisi ride last Saturday to ride at Doomben, will be trying to keep intact his unbeaten record on Poste Restante.
Le Roi is heading the early Summer Cup betting with Iggy Pop and Poste Restante next in the market order.
Le Roi, in his second Australian campaign since being imported from France, won twice in Adelaide in October and November before heading to Melbourne where he scored a resounding last start win over 2000m at Caulfield.