A week after landing a feature race double at the stand-alone Gosford meeting, jockey Kerrin McEvoy will be hoping for a similar haul at Scone where he has rides in all six black-type races over the two-day carnival.
McEvoy, who captured the $500,000 The Coast (1600m) aboard Athantos and the Takeover Target Stakes on King Of Roseau (1100m) at Gosford, kicks off his stakes quest aboard War Eternal in the Listed Scone Cup (1600m) on Friday.
His mounts on Saturday include two-year-old filly La Gitana for Lindsay Park in the Woodlands Stakes (1100m) and Our Kobison for Angela Davies in the Ortensia Stakes (1100m).
Our Kobison won six of his first 10 starts to put himself on the radar of 2024 Everest slot holders and while he didn’t get to the showpiece race, he did finish runner-up to Joliestar in that year’s Show County Quality (1200m).
While his form tapered off at the back-end of last season, he was much better on resumption at Rosehill in April when he was nudged out by Point And Shoot, before finishing fifth in the Hawkesbury Gold Rush.
McEvoy has ridden the gelding four times for a win and three seconds, including first-up this campaign, and is pleased to be reuniting with him.
“I know Angela has been happy with him. I’m not sure what happened there second-up, but he was really good first-up when he was just nosed out,” McEvoy said.
“It wouldn’t surprise me to see him bounce back to being very competitive on the weekend. I haven’t had a good look at the race yet, but I know he’ll enjoy Scone and he’s going to be much closer to peak fitness third-up.”
La Gitana makes her NSW debut and arrives with solid formlines, having placed at her only two starts in Victoria in black-type company.
The southern raiders enjoyed tremendous success in the juvenile features over the Sydney autumn with Guest House winning the Golden Slipper, and McEvoy says the Hayes brothers wouldn’t be bringing La Gitana to Scone without good reason.
“You’ve got to think the Hayes’ boys have a good opinion of this filly to travel up here. They wouldn’t be wasting their time,” McEvoy said.
“She has drawn soft and, I think she can be a good ride for me on the card.
“I haven’t had a chance to look at her jump-out yet, but she’s got stakes form, so she’s got to be a chance up there.”
McEvoy will also partner Casserousse in the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes (1100m), Harlem Queen in the Dark Jewel Classic (1400m) and the improving Captain Furai in the Luskin Star Stakes (1300m) to round out his stakes contingent.
