Stephen Farley expects Gazza Guru’s knack for producing his best in the early part of the spring to help the veteran’s cause in the $150,000 Wyong Gold Cup on Friday.
“Season after season he performs at this time of the year in Wyong Cups and Newcastle Cups,” Farley said.
Gazza Guru will be racing in his fourth successive Wyong Gold Cup and his results are improving as he gets older.
He finished sixth in 2010 and third in 2011 before he was a victim of interference when beaten in a photo by Julienas in 2012.
“Last year he got squeezed up but it wasn’t the winner who got him, it was the horse which finished third,” Farley said.
“He couldn’t get a run when it mattered.”
Gazza Guru was beaten a head by Julienas in 2012 and he goes into Friday’s edition in form which is arguably better than it was 12 months ago.
In recent starts the nine-year-old has won the South Grafton Cup, missed out in the Coffs Harbour Cup then regained his touch coming from last to win the Taree Cup.
“Year after year he keeps coming up,” Farley said. “He doesn’t know his age because we don’t tell him.”
Julienas gave Gazza Guru 1kg last year but there will be a 7kg difference on Friday.
In spite of the weight swing, pre-post operators expect Julienas to go back-to-back.
They have made the Gai Waterhouse-trained import a clear-cut $2 favourite with Gazza Guru at $8.
Early betting suggests Sacred Flyer will be the hardest horse for Julienas to beat.
Sacred Flyer was on a city hat-trick when unplaced behind stablemate Lucripetous at Warwick Farm but he has Sydney’s best trainer in his corner.
Waller trained successive Wyong Gold Cup winners in Hawk Island (2010) and The Verminator (2011) and had Kelinni finish out of the placings last year before getting the stayer to the Melbourne Cup.
