Promising three year old Lucky Jackson can earn himself a start in the 2018 Queensland Derby if he runs up to stable expectation in the Group 3 $125,000 Gunsynd Classic (1600m) at Doomben on Saturday.
Dreams Aplenty, above, was the winner of the 2017 Gunsynd Classic at Eagle Farm. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Eagle Farm trainer Chris Munce has high hopes for Lucky Jackson and is confident that he will acquit himself well on the weekend and warrant a place in the Group 1 $600,000 Channel Seven Queensland Derby (2200m) at Doomben on June 9.
“I hope he makes the field for the Gunsynd as I am looking at the Derby with him and he is a horse on the improve,” Munce told AAP.
Lucky Jackson’s form to date is nothing to be excited about, but Munce can see a lot of improvement in the Casino Prince gelding in the coming months.
Lucky Jackson is the winner of one of his seven race starts with victory in a 1400m Sunshine Coast Maiden in October last year followed by two seconds at Grafton and Hawkesbury.
Lucky Jackson has had two runs in restricted grade this preparation for a first up third in a 1200m Class 2 at the Sunshine Coast on April 6 followed by a sixth in a 1666m BenchMark 65 Handicap at Ipswich on April 18.
The 2018 Queensland Winter Racing Carnival officially kicked off on April 7 with the running of the Listed $150,000 Audi Centre Toowoomba Weetwood Handicap (1200m) at Toowoomba on April 7 and then progressed to the Sunshine Coast the following week with the feature race on the program being the Listed $100,000 Go Electrical Princess Stakes (1600m) for the three year old fillies.
The Winter Carnival came to Doomben last Saturday with the running of the Listed $100,000 Mick Dittman Plate (1050m) for the three year old olds, the Listed $100,000 Ascot Handicap (1200m) for the sprinters and the Listed $100,000 Tails Stakes (1600m) for the milers.
This Saturday sees the running of the first Group race of the 2018 Queensland Winter Racing Carnival with the three year olds lining up in the Gunsynd Classic and the open sprinters to do battle in the Group 2 $200,000 Victory Stakes (1200m).
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