Caloundra Cup fancy Ironstein could be the Queensland leg of a two state winning double for Sydney trainer Gerald Ryan if the veteran stayer can take out the feature staying race at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.
Ironstein could be the Queensland leg of a 2 state winning double for Gerald Ryan. Photo by Steve Hart.
Ironstein is a $5 chance with Ladbrokes.com.au to win the Listed $175,000 Ross Maclean Fellowship Caloundra Cup (2400m) at the Sunshine Coast and Ryan is giving the eight year old an excellent chance to break his long standing winning drought.
Victorian galloper Mr O’Ceirin is the ruling favourite at $2.20 while Ipswich Cup winner Brave Ali shares the $5 line with Ironstein who will be ridden again by Jason Taylor.
While two year old Inz’N’Out, with Brenton Avdulla aboard again, heads to Rosehill in Sydney and can record a hat trick of wins for Ryan if he can salute in the TAB Early Quaddie Handicap over 1400m.
The undefeated Inz’N’Out is on the second line of betting at $3.50 in the six horse field behind the Chris Waller trained Winx who has been marked the $1.75 favourite after winning on debut over 1100m at Warwick Farm on June 4.
Ironstein has won eight of his sixty-two starts but hasn’t been in the winner’s stall since the Spring of 2011 when he won the Group 3 $250,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington but has been placed on numerous occasions since.
The eight year old’s recent form is fair with two fourth placings from his last two starts, one over 1800m at Rosehill and then a creditable fourth to Brave Ali in the Listed $175,000 Channel 7 Ipswich Cup (2150m) at Ipswich on June 14.
“The way he has raced at his last two starts suggests a mile and half is right up his alley and he’s trained on,” Ryan told the Sportsman.
“If he hadn’t have lost his spot down the straight the first time, I reckon he wins that race because he would have got the run the third horse got and wouldn’t have had to go ninety-nine wide around them getting around the turn,” Ryan said of Ironstein’s Ipswich Cup fourth.
“I was up there last week with him and his work on Saturday morning was good.”
“Jason Taylor rode him Tuesday morning and said his work was good.”
Ryan is keen to test out Inz’N’Out over the 1400m at Rosehill after winning on debut over 1000m at Gosford on May 15 and then making it two from two with a win over 1200m at Randwick on June 7 and is confident the Zariz colt will handle the step up in distance.
“I know you don’t know until you try but I’ve always thought he would run 1400m,” Ryan said.
“He looks like a horse that will run 1400m and plus going to the 1400m gives you an idea of where you might be able to go with them later on in life.”
“He is just a nice horse.”
Ryan’s other runners at Rosehill are Majorly, a $10 chance, in the Significant Stakes for the two and three year olds over 1900m and Senta Desert, a $15 chance, in the TAB Rewards BenchMark 85 Handicap over 1900m.
