Cup Night Given Railway Stakes Go Ahead
Cup Night has been given the green light to take his place in the $1 million Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) on Saturday.
Cup Night had been under a fitness cloud after receiving a bad knock to his hind cannon in the Asian Beau Stakes (1400m) two weeks ago, but has been given the go after pleasing trainer Bernie Miller in a Lark Hill trial on Monday.
“He’s come through it pretty good and I was impressed by the trial,” Miller told The Races WA.
“He took the gap and it was great to see that he wanted to take it, he wanted to race again.
“We’ll head forward at this particular time, but if a hiccup does occur, we will have to pull out and protect him again, but at the moment he is going to the Railway.”
Miller said Cup Night was almost a certain non-starter for the Railway Stakes seven days ago, but had turned the corner and improved considerably in the past week.
“He’s made a lot of improvement since last Saturday week,” Miller said.
“Last Saturday week he wasn’t going for sure in my head.
“We were only doing a bit of evens and he couldn’t even do that; he wasn’t interested.
“He has come on leaps and bounds since then and his work last Wednesday was very good.
“He did strong evens on Saturday and today (Monday) he’s improved again.
“His heart rate was good and we will start taking him to the beach again.”
Cup Night enters the Railway Stakes after running a luckless second to Stageman in the Listed Black Heart Bart Stakes (1200m).
He then followed up with a fast closing fourth against an on-pace pattern in the Northerly Stakes (1400m) before the Asian Beau setback.
Miller said the Railway Stakes will be a hard race for Cup Night to win.
“I reckon with what’s happened to him he will go into the Railway six lengths behind where we need to be,” Miller said.
“It’s going to be his guts and determination that lifts him and he has go that spirit.
“Yes, we are going to go in under the eight ball a bit and we will be competitive, but he won’t be at the top of his game.”
Julio Santarelli