Jamie Kah returns home to ride the new Adelaide Cup favourite Daqiansweet Junior in Monday’s $400,000 Group 2 feature at Morphettville (3200m).
The Phillip Stokes-trained import was the big winner at the barrier draw landing gate two and firming into $4.60 with tab.com.au. Stokes will chase a second successive Adelaide Cup feature, with last year’s winner Good Idea drawing barrier six as he chases a slice of Cup history. Second elect Skelm is listed at $5, while Tigertiger is marked a $5.50 chance.
Tigertiger’s trainer Rob Blacker was happy with gate seven for the Bagot Handicap winner who will be ridden by Harry Coffey. Adelaide holds a special place for Coffey who claimed the biggest win of his career at Morphettville when Sopressa won the 2018 Australasian Oaks.
Topweight Skelm will jump from barrier 11 while champion jockey Damien Oliver will have to produce some magic with last-start Launceston Cup winner Aurora’s Symphony who will jump from the outside gate drawing barrier 16. Oliver will be chasing a second Adelaide Cup success having won the feature 23 years earlier aboard Sheer Kingston for John Meagher.
Local horseman Ryan Balfour will take two horses into his hometown feature; Busker’s Ballad drawing well in barrier six with stablemate Canford drawing gate 11.
Balfour said Canford, who will be ridden by Will Price, had come through his last-start Lord Reims Stakes win in super order.
“He took a lot out of that win,’’ Balfour said.
“He’s trained on really well, we’ve had our eye on this race for a long time."
Dom Tourneur has been booked to ride Dragon Storm for Mike Moroney, the horse a proven two-miler having won the Sandown Cup back in November and should be ready to fire after two runs back from a spell.