THURSDAY: May 2, 2024: JOSH Parr says his only rides to date for all-conquering trainer Ciaron Maher have been a “few slow ones”.
That isn’t likely to be case when he partners topweight and favorite Detonator Jack in Saturday’s $250,000 Richmond Club Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m).
Detonator Jack, who headed the Cup betting at $4 with TAB.com.au on Thursday night, is one of three Maher runners dominating early betting on the Group 3 feature at the Saturday stand-alone metropolitan meeting.
The others are $5 second favorite Nugget (Tyler Schiller) and $7.50 third favorite Berkshire Shadow (Dylan Gibbons).
Fresh from his second Perth The Quokka success on Sydney sprinter Overpass at Ascot a fortnight ago, Parr is keen to add to his Hawkesbury record at the annual fixture; being the only jockey to have so far won all four black type events.
He won the 2021 Cup on Archedemus, the 2018 Group Blacktown Workers Club Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) on Sambro, the Group 3 Pioneer Services Hawkesbury Crown (1300m) three times on Serenissima (2010), Pecans (2018) and Irithea (2019), and also the Listed Hawkesbury XXXX Gold Rush (1100m) twice on Tactical Advantage (2020) and Malkovich last year.
“The ride on Detonator Jack came out of the blue,” Parr said on Thursday afternoon.
“Jason Collett, who won The Gong at Kembla Grange on him last November is out injured and my brother-in-law Tim Clark, who rode Detonator Jack at his last start, is committed to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s New Endeavour.
“Obviously I’m really pleased to have the chance to win another Hawkesbury Cup.
“Detonator Jack handles good and wet tracks, and has drawn well in the big field.”
Detonator Jack’s latest close sixth to Celestial Legend in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile at Royal Randwick on April 6 entitles him to Cup favoritism, his 59kg joint topweight notwithstanding.
That was his second run this time in work, following his first-up close third to Democracy Manifest and subsequent Provincial-Midway Championships Final winner Territory Express in the Group 2 Ajax Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 30.
Parr, who also rides Mirra View (Crown) for Peter and Paul Snowden, and General Salute (Guineas) for Gerland Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, will continue his brilliant association with Overpass in the $1.5m Group 1 Doomben Ten Thousand (1200m) on May 18.
Wyong trainer Sara Ryan has opted to put blinkers on her Cup hope Attractable (Regan Bayliss).
After winning the $3m The Big Dance at Randwick last November and then finishing second in the $2m Group 2 The Ingham over the same the following month, Attractable has raced twice since resuming.
At his last run, he finished 11th in Pride Of Jenni’s All-Star Mile at Caulfield on March 16, and since thrashed six rivals in a 1200m barrier trial, with Bayliss aboard, at Wyong on April 23.
. The Hawkesbury track remained a “Good 4” late on Thursday afternoon, with no rain recorded during the day.