Towac Park will welcome plenty of outstanding trainers and horses to Monday’s TAB meeting, Racing Orange executive officer Gav Pilossof says, none more so than former Orange trainer and now racing royalty Gary Portelli.
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Portelli, now based out of Warwick Farm, claimed the $3.5 million Longlines Golden Slipper (1200m) with She Will Reign ($8) on Saturday and will have one runner on Monday.
Three-year-old brown gelding Self Defense, coming off a last-start win at Towac Park earlier this month, headlines a strong field in the fourth, the Inland Digital Class 1 Handicap (1300m).
That race will also feature Orange trainer Michael Plummer’s gelding Royal Abbey.
Fellow Sydney-based trainers Bjorn Baker, Greg Hickman, David Payne and Malcolm Johnston will also have runners at Towac Park on Monday.
"It's great to see that the leading Sydney stables are willing to bring their better horses to Orange to kick off their career, the racing seems to be getting stronger and stronger and all the reports from the Sydney stables about the track are positive especially since the crossings have been eliminated,” Pilossof said.
Orange will have a number of runners on their home track too.
Alison Smith, Lee Van Den Bos, Brad Draper and Plummer will have chances take to the Towac track, which is excellent condition.
The meet’s feature race is the Ecoscapes Solutions Orange Cup Prelude (1600m), the sixth, where Allan Kehoe’s Get On The Grange looks to be the favourite.
The first jumps at 1.55pm.