Cavalry Man toughs out Toowoomba Cup victory

The Lindsay Gough-trained grey did it the hard way after being held wide from his number eleven barrier draw for the entire length of the 2000m trip.

Being seven-wide going into the first turn after passing the grandstands for the first time … then three-wide all of the way down the back stretch and in the sweep to the home turn before swinging five-wide on straightening is never a preferred path for any runner, but what was also notable throughout the run was that apprentice Jace McMurray was intent on never giving too much start to those runners in front of him, showing great confidence in Cavalry Man being able to cope with the challenge he was facing.

And Cavalry Man certainly played his part.

Accelerating nicely in the first half of the home straight, Cavalry Man only had Felix The Scat left to reel in with 200m left to run.

That was the critical point, as, in spite of building good momentum, Cavalry Man, with the run he had endured, could have been forgiven if he failed to respond when Felix The Scat rallied and kicked again, but Cavalry Man quickly showed he was in for the fight and, ultimately, he was not to be denied.

This battle took these first two horses clear of the chasing pack in which the $31 outsider Artful Girl fared best to claim third place, narrowly ahead of the $4.20 favourite Diamond Show.

This was Cavalry Man’s eighth win from thirty-two starts which have brought a healthy prize-money return of $440,265.