Andrew Gluyas believes staying mare Arugamama can provide him with a second win in the Hobart Cup on Sunday
Andrew Gluyas hasn’t often ventured to Tasmania as a sole trainer but believes five-year-old mare Arugamama can reap the rewards of savvy placement in the Group 3 Hobart Cup (2400m) on Sunday.
Formerly in a training partnership with Leon Macdonald, the pair won the 2018 Hobart Cup with Pretty Punk, who is Arugamama’s half-sister, both out of a Kurofune mare called Reliability.
“Leon was sort of a stalwart of bringing horses down here,” Gluyas said.
“I think our last effort was probably Pretty Punk, who is the half-sister to Arugamama. So that was 2018 I think, so we’re having another crack.”
Arugamama has won six times from 28 starts, putting together two wins in a row in Adelaide over 2400m and 2500m before a close up fourth at Flemington over 2000m, a drop in distance Gluyas believes was against the daughter of Churchill.
“We used that (Flemington) as a stepping stone to get here. She raced well over sort of twenty-four, twenty-five (hundred metres) at home, we just used that as a bit of a stepping stone to get down here,” Gluyas said.
“So it worked well, she raced well, she rallied in the straight to run fourth. So that was a pass mark for us to come down here with a bit of confidence.”
Despite Sunday being Arugamama’s twelfth run of a preparation that began in August last year, Gluyas is happy with how she’s travelled to Tasmania and believes she should acquit herself well.
“She came down last week, early last week, staying with Siggy (Sigrid) Carr. She’s helped us out there and I’m very happy with the way she’s come up for Sunday’s racing,” Gluyas said.
“She’s got good form, she’s sustained a long preparation. We had her up for Spring and it took her a while to hit form, but she’s done that really since October, we took her to Caulfield and then we got her out over ground, and hit form since then.”
“So if we consider that she’s still in form then she ought to be around the mark.”
Jamie Melham provided Gluyas with the biggest win of his career when the pair combined with Goldrush Guru to win the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) and will take the ride on Sunday at 54kg, which only adds to Gluyas’ confidence.
“When you can grab a top jockey like that in a good race, you’ve always got a bit of confidence,” Gluyas said.
Arugamama, who will jump from the widest barrier in a field of eight, has been well supported in markets with betting apps for the Hobart Cup as a $3.30 second elect, just shaded by the Ciaron Maher trainer Promises Kept at $2.80.
