MARK de Montfort has brought horses up from his Warwick Farm base to the past two Muswellbrook race meetings and while not exactly going home with his tail between his legs certainly with little to sing about.
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“Quite frustrating really,” was how de Montfort put it.
He is back with two of those horses for Tuesday’s meeting at Skellatar Park hoping that his luck on this track might finally change.
He started two horses, Ready Set Sing and Biscuit, at the meeting on September 23 and both ran third and Messiah’s Jewel and Pure Reflection for the meeting on October 3 to finish second with Messiah’s Jewel while the other horse ran 10th.
Ready Set Sing is returning for the Horsepower Benchmark 65 (1280m) and Messiah’s Jewel for the Adelaide @ Coolmore Benchmark 55 (1450m).
“They both ran nice races the last time we were there and while they are no super stars I think they can both be competitive again,” de Montfort said.
“These days you have to be prepared to travel to find the right races for your horses and so far the opposition at Muswellbrook has been just that bit too good for us.
“The only reason they won’t go is if the weather changes and they get any rain.”
Ready Set Sing went to the Beaumont track at Newcastle after he ran at Muswellbrook and finished second in a Benchmark 65 (1350m) after coming from near last.
Messiah’s Jewel was having his fourth ran back from a break when second behind Prince Roo in a Benchmark 54 here, his best effort since winning at Orange back in March.
De Montfort is part of a growing band of Sydney trainers regularly bringing horses to Muswellbrook and an interesting nomination has been made by James Cummings for the Benchmark 65.
He has nominated Deluxe, a Kembla Grange maiden winner in March and a close up seventh in a Class Two at Nowra earlier this month at her first run back from a spell.
While nominations for three of the Benchmark races were disappointing, the three maiden handicaps drew a total of 92 horses with 35 entered for the Panzer Division @ Arrowfield Stud Maiden (900m) and 31 for the Melbourne Cup day at Muswellbrook Maiden (1280m).
“If enough horses accept we will divide one of those races,” Muswellbrook Race Club’s CEO Duane Dowell said.
“That will give us an eight-event program and add to the depth of the meeting.”
