Veteran Adelaide trainer Leon Macdonald has given the go ahead for Pretty Punk to take her place in the Group 2 $400,000 Adelaide Cup (3200m) at Morphettville on Monday.
Pretty Punk, above, has been given the go ahead to take her place in the 2018 Adelaide Cup at Morphettville. Photo by Jenny Barnes.
Pretty Punk returned to Adelaide after a tough Tasmanian campaign that saw her win the Group 3 $250,000 Sky Racing Hobart Cup (2400m) at Hobart on February 11 before running third to Bondeiger in the Group 3 $250,000 Sky Racing Launceston Cup (2400m) at Launceston on February 28.
Macdonald and co-trainer Andrew Gluyas have kept a close eye on Pretty Punk’s recovery since her last start third in the Launceston Cup and was pleased with the way she recovered from a solid hit out at Morphettville on Thursday morning.
“She worked okay. I was happy with her,” Macdonald told The Advertiser.
“We had a good look her afterwards and she seems all right.
“We’ll keep monitoring her but at this stage it looks like she’ll probably get there (to the Cup).”
Pretty Punk is rated a $13 chance for the Adelaide Cup at Ladbrokes.com.au and Macdonald thinks the Rebel Raider mare is harshly treated at the weights and she could be susceptible stepping up to the 3200m for the first time.
“I do think she’s in the race at least a kilo-and-a-half too heavy,” Macdonald said.
“There’s a horse like Exalted Lightning who’s won the Birthday Cup, which is the traditional Cup lead-up, and he’s only got 54.5.
“And the two miles is a query for all of them.
“She’s a tough little thing and she tries her heart out.
“I’m not sure if she can run it, though. I wasn’t sure if she could run 2400m, either.”
Top Adelaide jockey Jason Holder will be having his first ride on Pretty Punk in the Adelaide Cup and Macdonald can see the mare getting a good run from barrier seven in the field that has been reduced to seventeen runners following the early scratching of the Mick Kent trained Diamond Grace.
“She’s reasonably drawn and should get a very good run in the race,” Macdonald said.
“She’s got a bit of tactical early speed she can use if she needs it. I’d think she could end up one out and two back or something like that.”
Bookies at Ladbrokes.com.au have the Lindsay Park trained Fanatic as the $5 Adelaide Cup favourite on Friday ahead of Darren Weir’s Ormito at $6.50 and Master Of Arts and Exalted Lightning at $7.50.
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