Sargent tickled Pink with Cup contender
John Sargent will head to the Listed Wagga Gold Cup (2000m) on Friday with talented mare Pink Ivory hoping to settle some unfinished business.
Sargent captured the race in 2020 with House Of Cartier, only to have her subsequently disqualified when she returned a positive post-race swab.
It was the clean skin trainer's first such penalty in almost 40 years of training and investigations failed to reveal how the drug, a sedative used for horses undergoing surgery, came to be in her system.
"I had one runner, one winner and I lost it on a positive (swab) with House Of Cartier," Sargent said.
"We're going to try to go back and get it this time - and hopefully not lose it."
A daughter of champion race mare Lotteria and Westbury Stud stallion Redwood, Pink Ivory brings solid formlines to Wagga with top-four finishes in a brace of Group Three fillies and mares' races over the Sydney autumn carnival before a closing last start fifth to Diamil in the JRA Plate (2000m).
Tom Sherry sticks with her and while she has an awkward draw, she will come into barrier 12 of 16 following six early scratchings with Sargent also making an important gear change.
"Blinkers go back on. She was a bit lazy without them last start," he said.
A handy field has been assembled for Wagga's feature middle-distance race with Wicklow a $4 favourite to give Chris Waller his fifth win and back-to-back titles following his victory with Aleas 12 months ago.
Pink Ivory, who is raced by her breeder Gerry Harvey, is on the second line of betting at $7.
Maher's Ruthless Sangster assault
Ruthless Dame will chase a maiden win at the highest level when she contests Saturday's Gr.1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville.
The three-year-old was well beaten last start in the Gr.1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) but was nosed out in the Surround Stakes (1400m) despite a torrid run the start prior, having been a close-up third in the Gr.3 Manfred Stakes (1300m) won by Jacquinot at her first start this campaign.
"She arguably should have beaten Jacquinot at Sandown and backed it up with a huge run in the Surround," Ciaron Maher, who trains with David Eustace, said.
"She's of that (Group One) ability. She's sharp, we've kept her fresh, she trialled well, is very fit and the track won't affect her."
The daughter of Tavistock is the most lightly-raced runner in Saturday's race, having won her only two other starts, which came as a two-year-old early last year.
Ruthless Dame, who was purchased out of Curraghmore's 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 draft, will be ridden by John Allen and jump from gate 12.