Trainer, Sebastien D’Aquino, has found in Ginepri a horse that is well-suited to the long distances that make up the big three races at Borrowdale. This follows the horse’s recent easy win in the 1,800m OK Grand Challenge and his close second finish in the 2000m Castle Tankard.
Bred by La Pasion, Ginepri defied a bad draw in the Tankard for that close finish behind A King Is Born and has an impressive record of four wins and two placings in 11 starts.
What makes this record worth looking at is the fact that all the placings and wins came from distances of 1,800 – 2000m.
With the Republic Cup covering a distance of 1,900m, this makes the Argentina-bred horse a perfect choice.
Aquino’s defending Republic Cup champion Choisir also features prominently in a race against Alyson Wright’s equally impressive A King Is Born and Ghokan Terzi’s Approval Rating, who earlier this year won the Zimbabwe Guineas.
In contention too is 2012 Triple Crown winner and the OK Grand Challenge’s second-placed horse, Madigan, from the Kirk Swanson yard.
However, it is Wright’s star perfomer, A King Is Born, who looks likely to endanger Genepri’s chances of giving D’Aquino his second successive Republic Cup title and his second major after the OK Challenge.
Just like Ginepri, the South African horse, bred by the Klawerviel Stud and sired by Secong Empire, has had his share of success at Borrowdale, having come third in the Challenge. He also won the Tankard and will also be looking for a second major title of the year.
A King Is Born’s record shows five wins and seven placings in 26 races, but history can sometimes be deceiving in horse racing.
Other horses staking a claim for the Republic Cup are top weight Kirk Swanson’ Captain Tiger, Arula Borealis, Charro Negro from the Lisa Harris yard, Final Fling, Burmese Cat, Orbit War, Royal Arrow, and Super Trouper.
There is, however, no certainty in horse racing and the need for luck means all the 17 horses in the race are potential winners.
Post published in: Sport