Zoomin, right, and hot favourite Purple battle it out for second place behind Ginga Dude in the David Jones Cup. 55124
By Paul Pickering
FOR a moment on Saturday it looked like Mick Kent’s dream week was set to continue.
The stone-faced trainer, who claimed consecutive country cups at Cranbourne and Moe last week, must have fancied his chances of a Caulfield win when Zoomin edged his way off the rail late in the Group Three David Jones Cup (2000m).
Jockey Glen Boss looked to find some daylight at the top of straight, but the gap closed just as quickly and Zoomin’s chance to challenge frontrunner Ginga Dude was gone.
Kent’s six-year-old gelding finished strongly into third place and may back up at Moonee Valley on Saturday, while his $51 outsider Stanstill faded into ninth in the same race.
Zoomin was the only local to place on Saturday in an otherwise lean afternoon for the Cranbourne trainers at Caulfield, yet there were plenty of congratulations coming Kent’s way in the mounting yard.
Two country cups in five days will do that.
The second came via a win to Red Buttons in the 2050m feature at Moe on Thursday, with Brad Rawiller guiding the rejuvenated six-year-old to the narrowest of victories.
Rawiller later revealed he’d thought Red Buttons was fading after he last rode the gelding in August, but paid tribute to Kent’s work in summoning something for the spring.
It was Red Buttons’ eighth victory in 40 starts, and Kent was thrilled to continue his own winning ways.
“You can never get too much of it, can you?” he said.
“I’m just so pleased for the horse to win a nice race, because he’s just been such a nice horse for the stable.
“I know he’s not the best horse, but every morning you wake up and he’s there smiling, wanting to do some work, (so) he’s just a pleasure to have in the stables.”
Kent has nominated Red Buttons for Sunday’s Terang Cup, while Zoomin is among 33 acceptances for the Group Two Cathay Pacific Airways Cup (2500m) at Moonee Valley.
Fellow Cranbourne trainer Mark Webb will prepare his star mare Avienus for the $3 million Group One Cox Plate and a showdown with the unstoppable So You Think.
Kent’s only other runner last Saturday was mare Belle’s Ready, which finished seventh in the 1100m last. Greg Eurell’s Misty Blue (ninth) and Bevan and Richard Laming’s Play Just For Me (sixth) struggled in the same race.
Meanwhile, the Robbie Laing-trained Serene Tanie finished eighth behind Dizlago in the Listed Sportingbet Stakes (2000m) and Robbie Griffiths scratched Marvellous Miss from the 1400m first.
