McKell Cup winner Ironstein is on target for a feature off-season double at Rosehill on Saturday.
The Gerald Ryan-trained stayer is set to run in Saturday’s Listed Winter Cup (2400m) after bouncing back to his best in the Listed WJ McKell Cup (2400m) on May 21.
The five-year-old son of Zabeel will be striving to become the first stayer in more than 15 years to claim the McKell Cup-Winter Cup double with Grand Connection in 1995 the last to win both races.
Ironstein was given 55kg on Tuesday, with dual Group One winner Vision And Power heading the weights with 58kg.
Ryan confirmed apprentice Josh Adams, who rode Ironstein to his McKell Cup win, would be on board again in the Winter Cup before he begins a seven-month suspension for a drug offence.
“He has done well since the McKell Cup and this race looks no tougher than what he ran against the other day,” Ryan said.
“He’ll run unless it’s a real bog. The Brisbane Cup is a possibility if he doesn’t run this week.”
The Group Two Brisbane Cup (2400m) is at Eagle Farm on Saturday week.
Ryan trained Ready To Lift to win the McKell Cup (2400m) in 2009 and the mare backed up a week later to finish second in the Brisbane Cup.
However, Ryan said Ironstein was unlikely to run two weeks in a row.
Ironstein turned his fortunes around in the McKell Cup when he unleashed a strong turn of foot to defeat Victorian visitor Sherpa Tenzing with Skyerush third.
Sherpa Tenzing is not among the Winter Cup nominations but the Guy Walter-trained Skyerush is entered to take on Ironstein again.
Ironstein emerged as a stayer of promise this time last year with three wins in the space of a month.
He won restricted races in Sydney over 1900m and 2000m on wet tracks before heading to Queensland where he took out the Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m).
His McKell Cup success was the gelding’s first win in 10 starts since the Caloundra Cup.
AAP TURF
