Fannie Bay clocker Mark Gillam is Darwin Racing’s man in the know, and he’s declared Darwin Cup favourite Bear Story won’t be beaten off his lead-up gallops.
Bear Story, an Irish import, was sent up north to target this race and made an impression with a big win over a mile in the Minister’s Cup. Although he’s set to carry the top weight of 61 kg, he’s drawn a perfect barrier and is just hunting for the perfect Noel Callow steer.
“His work has been exceptional. I’ve been here clocking them for four years; I’ve seen most of the Cup runners, and none of them have worked anything like this horse.” Gillam declared.
“He works as well as some of the good sprinters I’ve watched over the years, and he’s going 2000 metres, not six furlongs (1200 m).
“You don’t see staying horses work like this horse does, and I don’t think the 2000 metres will pose him any problems, nor will the weight.”
Thankfully the old nag has had some time to acclimatise to the Darwin heat because if he wins, he may end up like his fellow Irish backpackers. Now that he’s landed in Darwin, he won’t want to leave!
