One is trained at Toowoomba while the other is at Sunshine Coast but the common theme of gear changes will hopefully see Yes I’m Ugly and Hannabana at Ipswich on Friday.
Taylah Mackinnon is based north of Brisbane and she is looking to the application of a tongue tie to bring about the three-year-old filly’s first win since August 2025.
After finishing near the tail of the field in at Class 1 level at Sunshine Coast on June 7, MacKinnon is also hopeful of scratchings which would see Hannabana start from a single digit gate in the Fertpro Benchmark 58 Fillies and Mares Handicap (1100m).
“She’s struggling with a bit of form at the moment so she doesn’t need an excuse to be caught three-wide,” Mackinnon said.
“She’ super quick out of the gates and she has got the speed to jump and cross them but in saying that, she is wearing a tongue tie for the first time and that can temper their jump a little bit.
“She has been a headscratcher, to be honest, and last start Kyle (Wilson-Taylor) put his hand up and said he probably should have gone forward but the winner, Zoustrology, is an impressive horse who will go on and be a Saturday horse.”
MacKinnon also noted the run before where Hannabana nearly dropped Ben Thompson from the saddle when the filly took fright at another runner.
For trainer William Kropp, the combination of blinkers on Yes I’m Ugly and maintaining the faith in apprentice jockey Stacey Callow after the pair finished well down the track at Toowoomba over 1300m on June 13 as a beaten $4.80 favourite.
“He has had a fair prep but has drawn a lot of poor barriers,” Kropp said of the four-year-old who this time begins from barrier 8.
“I’ve stick with Stacey because she comes in and rides him work most days.”Backing off in distance and popping the blinkers on, I think he’s still racing alright and has a liking for Ipswich. When a horse likes a track it is lengths better.”
Yes I’m Ugly is rated a $5.50 chance in the Ipswich Party Hire Benchmark 58 Handicap for colts, geldings and entires.