By MATT NICHOLLS
SIX Cranbourne trainers will vie for honours in tomorrow night’s $100,000 Pinker Pinker Plate, which will kick-start a bumper weekend for the Cranbourne Turf Club.
Greg Eurell, Stephen Theodore, Brian Jenkins, Barry Fox, Bevan Laming and Pat Hyland have all put forward a mare to race in honour of the late Cox Plate champion.
Eurell, who trained Pinker Pinker to her Cox Plate victory in 2011, is hoping French Tang can win the race named after his former stable star.
“I’m really proud the club has named a feature race after her and I hope French Tang can run well on Friday night,” Eurell said.
“She’s going well and appears to be wanting to race over the distance (2080m) so fingers crossed she goes OK.”
Streets of Seattle for the Caulfield stable of John Moloney will carry the topweight of 58kg on Thursday night and looks one of the hardest to beat in what is the second running of the Pinker Pinker Plate.
Bevan Laming could have the best of the local hopes in Innocent Lady, who was a game fourth behind champion mare Atlantic Jewel in the Group 2 Stocks Stakes last month.
“With the rail out nine metres her performance will depend on how she draws,” said Laming about an hour before Wednesday’s fields were released.
“If she draws wide it’ll make it hard.”
Innocent Lady, who will be ridden by Dwayne Dunn, could be seen again on Sunday, according to her trainer.
“There’s the option of her backing up in the Cranbourne Cup,” Laming said.
“It’s too early to tell you anything definitive, though.”
Barry Fox has high hopes for his mare Bonnie Nuit, who will be ridden by talented jockey Katelyn Mallyon, while fellow Cranbourne horseman Pat Hyland has engaged Michael Walker to ride Keyarna Blue.
The other local hopes are Biancrazy, who will run for in-form trainer Stephen Theodore, while Brian Jenkins has Marlais and first emergency Seraphee.
Cranbourne Turf Club chief executive Neil Bainbridge said he was hoping for a good crowd tomorrow night in what is the lead-up event to Sunday’s Cup meeting.
“We didn’t have a lot of luck last year because of the weather but hopefully we have a good night on Friday and get plenty to the track,” he said.
“We’re opening the new beer garden on the night and we’ll have DJs complementing the racing entertainment.
“The club is also supporting the Jane McGrath foundation on the night, so anyone that wears pink will get into the races for free.”
The Pinker Pinker Plate will be run at 9.15pm tomorrow and is the first of three feature races at Cranbourne this weekend.
The $100,000 Apache Cat Classic (1000m), named after another Eurell champion, features some of the best up-and-coming sprinters in Victoria and will be run on Sunday as the prelude to the $200,000 Cranbourne Cup (2025m).
