Veteran Cowra hoop Mathew Cahill is hoping to bag a fifth Bathurst Cup when he saddles up in Sunday’s $50,000 feature race at Tyers Park.
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The 50-year-old won his first Bathurst Cup over two decades ago, guiding On Deck to victory in 1996.
Since then, he’s managed to salute on board Wide And Blue (2000), Cardiff Prince (2015) and, last year, on board Murraguldrie, the chestnut gelding storming from last to first down the Tyers Park straight to secure the rich Cup victory.
Cahill’s quest for back-to-back Cup wins this year is with Garry White’s four-year-old Letter To Juliette.
And despite riding now for a quarter of a century, Cahill says there’s still a touch of nerves that hit when gearing up for the rich Cup races in the region.
“It’s not too bad,” he laughed.
“I’ve been doing it for a little while now. Cup races are a bit special though. They only happen once a year, so that gets the adrenaline going a bit.
White’s brown mare is in pretty decent form heading into Sunday’s Ray White Emms Mooney Bathurst Cup, which is again over 1800 metres.
Cup races are a bit special. They only happen once a year, so that gets the adrenaline going a bit.
- Jockey Mathew Cahill
Letter To Juliette is a last start winner over that distance at Hawkesbury and her last five runs have netted a win, three seconds and a fifth.
Despite never racing at the track, Letter To Juliette will be one to watch, if you ask Cahill.
“She might be a class four mare but she has a good racing pattern, she races up on speed and that helps at Bathurst,” the experienced hoop said.
“I’ll give the horse the best chance I can.”
Bathurst trainers Don and Andrew Ryan have prepared Nurture for the Cup, which is worth $50,000 thanks to the meeting’s showcase status.
The Bathurst Cup jumps at 5.12pm at Tyers Park.