Tom Sherry has an outstanding record aboard Kirwan’s Lane and he is hoping to enhance it even further when he reunites with the John O’Shea-trained gelding in the Listed Ladies Day Cup at Hawkesbury.
Sherry has ridden the horse six times for three wins and two seconds and was aboard for his biggest success in the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) in April.
That was over the same course and distance as Thursday’s assignment and Sherry says Kirwan’s Lane is well placed to snare Hawkesbury’s feature Cups double.
“He’s been a good horse to me, I’ve won on him a couple of times now,” Sherry said.
“It looks a really good race for him on Thursday, there aren’t a whole lot of nominations.
“He has drawn a really good gate and he likes Hawkesbury, he likes the Hawkesbury mile.
“Mr O’Shea is confident, and his lead-up runs have been good, so I’m quite confident going into Thursday.”
Kirwan’s Lane has shaped well in his two campaign runs, resuming with a solid fourth to Surf Dancer in the Group 2 Shannon Stakes (1500m) and filling the same position behind subsequent Big Dance runner-up Cisco Bay over 1600m at Randwick last month.
He does have to contend with topweight of 59kg, four kilos more than he carried in the Hawkesbury Gold Cup, but the six-year-old has won with a similar impost and Sherry doesn’t expect it to be a hindrance.
“I don’t think 59 will bother him too much,” he said.
“He’s not overly big but he’s a compact guy.”
Kirwan’s Lane will face eight rivals in the Ladies Day Cup (1600m), headed by Chris Waller’s duo of Lord Ardmore and The Frontman.
Blake Ryan and Mark Chevalier will carry the hopes of the locals as the only Hawkesbury-based trainers with runners, Ryan represented by five-time winner Momack and Chevalier by resuming stayer Torrens.
