Dubbo trainer Garry Lunn will be hopeful the booking of champion jockey Greg Ryan can help bring an end to Kingtantes’ inconsistency at Bathurst on Friday.
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Ryan will ride Kingtantes in the Benchmark 60 Handicap (1408m), the last of eight races set down for Bathurst’s Tyers Park.
The seven-year-old gelding has six wins and 17 placings from 55 starts and in this preparation two placings at Dubbo and a placing at Walgett have been coupled with a 13th place finish at Coonamble and a disappointing 10th in the Forbes Cup last time out.
Ryan has never ridden Kingtantes before and will have to overcome a tricky draw on Friday after the gelding was handed barrier 10 of 11.
Lunn could go up against one of the day’s many hometown hopes in Hollywood Nell.
The mare’s trainer, Peter Stanley, had accepted her for two events on Friday – the Benchmark 60 Handicap (1408m) and the Benchmark 54 Handicap (2000m) – but as of Thursday afternoon there was no scratching and he had not made his mind of which race to start in.
Regardless of which event, Stanley was confident she would give a good account of herself.
“She’s been a consistent horse who’s just been unlucky in her races. She lost the Soldier’s Saddle by an inch, and while she hasn’t been disappointing this preparation she hasn’t really been impressive,” he said.
Racing at Bathurst on Friday starts at 12.45pm with Lunn’s fellow Dubbo trainer Connie Greig and Mark Jones also in action.