Former physiotherapist Ben Ahrens is daring to dream of a Cups campaign in Melbourne with Queensland stayer Spechenka.
Spechenka, winner of last year’s Group Three Summer Cup at Randwick and the Listed Caloundra Cup in July, returns in a 1615-metre Open Handicap at Doomben on Saturday following his last-start Grafton Cup failure.
Former Adelaide jumps rider Ben Cornell, who rides Spechenka in most of his trackwork, will have his first metropolitan ride in Brisbane on the six-year-old.
Cornell rides on Queensland’s country circuit but has been given a rare city opportunity by Ahrens with Spechenka’s regular jockey Ryan Wiggins out suspended.
He has had a lot to do with Spechenka since his two-year-old days and has ridden him seven times for four wins.
“I thought about claiming on Spechenka but he can pull and I don’t want him getting outside his normal pattern of racing so I thought a senior rider would be better,” Ahrens said.
Cornell, 42, began his riding career as an 18-year-old in Adelaide before weight problems forced him to try his luck over the hurdles.
“I rode for four years and won about 30 races over the jumps after I got too heavy for flat racing,” Cornell said.
“In my first year as a jumps rider I won the South Australian jumps premiership.”
Cornell then moved to Darwin with the intention of staying only three months but ended up riding in the Top End for 12 years before settling at Beaudesert, south of Brisbane, four years ago.
“I went to Darwin for three months and stayed 12 years. I liked the lifestyle there and the weight scale was higher which suited me a lot,” he said.
Ahrens quit a promising career as a physiotherapist a few years ago to train horses and has a team of 14 in work at his Beaudesert property.
Spechenka was given 10 days in the paddock to recover from his tough Grafton Cup (2300m) run after finishing fifth, beaten less than three lengths, in the feature won by Warrior Within.
“The Grafton Cup was a stop-start affair which didn’t suit him and he jarred up a bit on the hard track,” Ahrens said.
Ahrens conceded his Melbourne Cup dream may appear ambitious but it’s a serious option for Spechenka.
“It’s probably ambitious but I have to keep it in the back of my mind,” Ahrens said.
“At this stage he’ll have another run here over 2100 metres in a fortnight then go down for the Newcastle Cup and The Metropolitan.
“If he wins or runs a good race in The Metrop I’ll send him on to Melbourne for the Caulfield Cup and he’s already qualified for the Melbourne Cup.”
AAP TURF
