A good 3 rating for the Doomben track for today’s BTC Cup meeting has ensured that pre post favourite Buffering will continue to firm in the betting and start well into the red.
Buffering continues to firm in the betting for the BTC Cup. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Only seven runners will contest the weight for age Group 1 $400,000 Bundaberg Distilling Co. BTC Cup (1200m) after the scratching of the Gerald Ryan trained Snitzerland yesterday because of a shoulder injury.
Buffering firmed from $2.20 to $2 with Ladbrokes.com.au when Snitzerland was removed from the field and continued to firm overnight to $1.85.
Trainer Robert Heathcote and jockey Damian Browne’s only fear of defeat was a rain affected track but with the forecast rain not arriving Buffering will have no excuses in not collecting his fourth Group 1 trophy this afternoon.
“I am nervous because I think he is vulnerable on too wet a track. It takes away his biggest asset and that is his high cruising speed and his ability to sustain it,” Heathcote told The Courier-Mail earlier in the week.
But with no rain in sight Heathcote and Browne are full of confidence that Buffering can score his first Group 1 victory.in front of his home crowd.
“It is probably not the greatest sprint field that can be assembled and he has beaten most of these horses before and let’s hope that he can do it again,” Browne said.
Today will be Buffering’s third attempt to win the BTC Cup following his third to Black Caviar in 2011 and a fourth to the Anthony Cummings trained three year old Your Song on a bog track when the race was transferred to Eagle Farm last year.
While in 2012 Buffering had to be scratched from the BTC Cup because a stone bruise when he was a raging hot favourite.
With the continued support for Buffering, second favourite Spirit Of Boom has eased slightly to $5.50 while the Gerald Ryan trained Hot Snitzel has attracted some money and has firmed from $8 to $7.50.
Spirit Of Boom’s stablemate Temple Of Boom has drifted a point to $9 with Tiger Tees at $11, Peron at $17 and Famous Seamus the outsider of the seven horse field at $21.
