HE has watched his son win the Soldier’s Saddle as both a trainer and a jockey, but come the 2018 edition of the ANZAC Day feature Peter Stanley hopes his family’s winning record will be extended.
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The Bathurst trainer will saddle up two runners in the $30,000, 1,400 metres classic on Wednesday with one of them – Dungannon – to be ridden by his daughter Ashleigh.
It will be Ashleigh’s first ride in the feature, having begun her apprenticeship in January, but Peter Stanley will be chasing glory for the fourth time.
He first tried his luck in the Bathurst Thoroughbred Racing feature in 2014 - shortly after moving his base from Orange to Tyers Park. That year Strike Power ran seventh and Kahluastorm 13th.
Twelve months later Stanley came within 0.1 lengths of winning the feature with Hollywood Nell. The runner which won that year – Prattler – was trained by his son Justin.
Justin had previously won the saddle in 2002 as a jockey aboard Elbow.
In 2016 Stanley again narrowly missed out on success. This time City Boots was a 0.3 lengths second and stablemate Hair Of The Dog third.
Whether or not Dugannon or his second runner this year, Catcha Crown, can finally deliver Stanley a win remains to be seen. But he is confident both have the ability to feature.
“They’re going really good for me, they’re not far away from the placings in their respective races we’ve had them in,” he said.
“I think they’ll give me a chance. I’ve got second in it a couple of times and it would be nice to pull one out of the hat this time and win the bloody thing.
“I’m thinking both of them could be a bit of a surprise actually. They’re working alright and they’re doing everything right and they’re racing well and they look a million dollars. Either one of them could run a place or win, it’d be nice.
“We’ve got city horses coming of course, we know that, and they are always hard to beat, but my two are there, they’ve got a run, so might as well send them around.”
A seven-year-old God’s Own x Marjorie mare, Dungannon has previously placed over the 1,400m distance. She has also won this campaign with Ashleigh Stanley in the saddle, saluting in a Benchmark 55 at Warren.
Ken Dunbar will have the ride with four-year-old Beautiful Crown x Catcha Rising gelding Catcha Crown. From seven prior starts at Tyers Park, he has only missed the placings twice.
“They go well at their home track as well, it gives them a bit of an advantage. All the others horses have to travel and we don’t which is a plus,” Stanley said.
“Kenny he won a maiden over at Cowra by five lengths and then won a race on him here at Bathurst – he knows the horse. Ashleigh has won on Dungannon, so she knows her as well.
“Mainly they like to be midfield in their respective races, Dungannon gets back a little bit, she come from last at Warren and won. But they’ve both run good races at Bathurst before and he’s won at Bathurst and he’s run placings at Bathurst.
“It is quite nice to have two in it, it gives us a double shot at it.”
The Soldier’s Saddle is set to jump at 3.56pm on Wednesday.
