Racing returns to the Course Proper at Thoroughbred Park this Friday for the first time since May. 107 acceptors have assembled for what shapes as a quality eight-race program which will launch a revamped Spring calendar in Canberra.
The race day is sponsored by the training team of Barbara Joseph, Paul & Matt Jones and fittingly they have entered an army to do battle in front of a big group of their loyal owners and fans who will be on-course for the occasion.
"It's a big celebration." Trainer Paul Jones said. "It's a great day to get all of our owners together to thank them for their support but also to raise money for charity, this year's beneficiary is Win The Day who we're really happy to support."
"We've been holding this event for over 20 years and we've had owners come from as far as Perth before."
In the TAB Federal (1400m), team Joseph Jones will line up Bega Cup winner Manderboss (NZ) who will carry the top weight of 60kg as he drops back to Country grade after two runs this preparation at Rosehill.
The son of Vadamos (FR) has drawn perfectly in barrier five with Quayde Krogh engaged for the ride and Jones is keen to keep him on-track for the Big Dance.
"Manderbossjust had a little issue after his last city run so we had to by-pass the Dubbo Cup but we're really happy with him now and this race looks perfect for him." Jones said.
"He worked beautifully on the course proper on Tuesday and at the moment he's a great possibility of getting in the Big Dance."
"He's going to be competitive in the Big Dance or Little Dance so it's an exciting time."
Barbara Joseph, Paul & Matt Jones have ten horsesready to go for Friday as fields stand at the moment with a number of key changes.
"I think Peak Contributor (NZ) is going to relish getting to a mile after being ran off his feet over 1280m last start, he should lead them up and be very competitive." Jones said.
"A horse like Sherman has to be a chance and just needs to transfer his consistent synthetic form over to the grass."
At Joseph Jones Racing Race Day in 2022, Barbara Joseph, Paul & Matt Jones trained two winners in Louie's Legacy and star galloper Super Helpful.
Friday's race meeting at Thoroughbred Park is due to begin at 12:35pm. The track is currently rated a Soft-6 but with warm and sunny conditions predicted for the rest of the week, there is a strong chance of an upgrade.
