Kalgoorlie Cup shapes as a two-horse race

Could the $150,000 Kalgoorlie Cup be a two-horse shootout?

That is what the pre-race betting suggests, with the Michael Grantham-trained Opportunistic squaring off with the Helen Harding-trained The Jester’s Son as the clear first and second favourites at $2.60 and $3.90 respectively.

Opportunistic, a five-year-old son of So You Think, is a four-time winner from thirteen starts with the last of those successes coming in his penultimate start in which he beat The Jester’s Son by 0.33 lengths … at level weights … in the Coolgardie Cup over 1760m.

The Jester’s Son then reversed that result when they next clashed, beating Opportunistic home by 0.75 lengths, this time over the significantly longer distance of 2125m in the Boulder Cup, a race in which The Jester’s Son enjoyed a favourable 2kg pull at the weights with his rival.

That leaves them with the win and a runner-up finish apiece in their last two clashes, which both took place at the Kalgoorlie track.

The Jester’s Son will again have a weight advantage over Opportunistic on Saturday, but this time it is only 0.5kg, which could still be a factor as both runners again stretch out in distance to a testing 2300m.

Those results make these two runners difficult to separate … as do their immediate previous runs, with both runners continuing to hold their form well, with Opportunistic finishing in third place in successive starts in June … while The Jester’s Son posted a runner-up finish in the Kambalda Cup and a win in the Kalgoorlie Tatts Cup in August.

Opportunistic will be ridden by Chris Parnham, who rode the Grantham-trained runner in his last start, while The Jester’s Son will be partnered by Zephen Johnston-Porter, who has been in the saddle in fourteen of the son of Pierro’s seventeen starts since transferring to the Harding yard from the Ben, Will and J D Hayes stable back in mid-2025.

Michael Grantham has a strong hand in the race as he also has Lillian and Citino in the lineup. They are the third and fourth fancies at $6.50 and $10 respectively.

Lillian, who will be ridden by Lucy Fiore, has two wins over 2200m to recommend her chances. Citino, who will be ridden by Joey Azzopardi, finished third behind the two main fancies in the Boulder Cup in his last start.