Man Crush can mush opposition to give Fernie hometown feature in Wednesday’s Hannans Handicap at Kalgoorlie
Last start Nicopolis Stakes winner Man Crush has drawn gate one for the third consecutive time and shapes as the toughest to toss in Wednesday’s Listed $150,000 TABtouch Hannans Handicap (1400m) at Kalgoorlie.
A noted on-speed horse, Man Crush was forced to tail Phanta at his most recent run before powering clear to score by more than a length for his second Listed victory after scoring the Magic Millions as a three-year-old.
Trainer Luke Fernie continues to be optimistic about his five-year-old’s form, with the gelding’s versatility emboldening Fernie’s spirits.
“Barrier one should suit him – he has been a little bit fractious from the inside before, but he seems to be fine lately,” Fernie said.
“We know he can lead or, if they go crazy, he can sit in behind.
“Everything is pointing towards him running a really good race and he should be very hard to beat.”
Man Crush’s sire, Manhattan Rain, won over 1200m as a two-year-old before running second in the 2040m Cox Plate as a three-year-old behind So You Think, further enhancing Fernie’s confidence that 1400m will prove no object.
“I’m pretty confident he’ll run that now – I wouldn’t have been before – but I reckon he’s matured,” Fernie said.
“He always showed early that he would, but he had a lot of issues every time we tried to get to 1400m.
“The excuse was never that he didn’t run it – it was that he had a bug, didn’t butter up, had come to the end of his prep, just little things.
“I think 58kg is a good weight for where he’s at.”
Fernie, a local Kalgoorlie boy, will miss this week’s round for the first time ever with duty calling him to Melbourne as he oversees the preparations of Ripcord and Wild Belle.
Exciting four-year-old Ripcord will commence his campaign in Saturday’s Group 2 $300,000 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) at Flemington where he will face Group 1-winning mares Chain Of Lightning and Magic Time.
“He gets in on 54kg and can do his thing,” Fernie said.
“I reckon he’ll be a good chance; he’ll be pretty hard to beat in that field.”
On Saturday, Fernie will also be represented in the Listed $150,000 Kalgoorlie Cup (2300m) by Stop Dreaming, who burst home over the final hundred metres to a 2100m event triumph last start.
Camera IconRipcord wins the 2023 Placid Ark Stakes for jockey Clint Johnston-Porter Credit: Jorja King/Jorja King / Western Racepix
However, the young trainer remains cautious of the Boulder Cup winner Starry Heights, a scintillating four-length winner of that Listed feature just two weeks prior.
“If (Starry Heights) doesn’t have much luck, we could be the one to beat,” Fernie said.
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