CITY-winning mare Jo Jo Girl was only beaten by three lengths in last year’s Wagga Gold and trainer Tim Donnelly is confident she will go even closer on Friday.
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While connections of the Gundagai-owned mare would have loved a downpour of rain this week, Donnelly has not given up hope of a breakthrough Wagga Gold Cup victory.
Jo Jo Girl ran third in the Gundagai Cup last month and then had no luck when third behind High Opinion in the Murrumbidgee Cup last Tuesday.
Donnelly believes Jo Jo Girl is ready to run a big race in the Cup.
“I’m happy with her,” Donnelly said.
“She’s run in every race we wanted to run her in in the lead up.
“I think she’s going better than what she was last year, she’s better drawn and it won’t be a leader bias like it was last year I don’t think. She’ll run well.
“Her last two (runs) have been her best two, as you would expect, getting up over 1800 and 2000.
“I don’t think it is (beyond her). I think she’s a place chance. She got beat three lengths last year and she’s definitely better this year.”
Donnelly said one advantage Jo Jo Girl has over her higher rated metropolitan opponents is that the Wagga Gold Cup has always been on her agenda.
“I think if the best horses, the Sydney horses, were at their top then (this year’s Cup) would be stronger (than previous years), but they rarely are,” he said.
“Put it this way, in December when we got her back into work, I said these are the races we would run in towards the Wagga Cup.
“I bet no one else did that. The Wagga Cup is not her goal, the next start is, but it’s a good goal along the way.”
Jo Jo Girl will be aided by the booking of Brenton Avdulla. The Sydney jockey has only ridden her once before and that resulted in a Saturday win at Randwick.
Avdulla will also partner another of Donnelly’s horses on Friday, and while it may not be the Cup, there will be plenty of interest surrounding the run of three-year-old filly Classic Vogue in the Guineas.
She was bound for the Victorian Oaks last preparation before injury struck.
Classic Vogue returned with a luckless sixth at Wagga last month and will continue her path towards a Queensland Oaks in the Guineas.
“She’s going good. You couldn’t take much out of her run the other day, it was slowly run and she never got a real crack at them,” Donnelly said.
“I wouldn’t rule (winning) out. I think she’s got class, you know. She’s better than just a good Wagga-winning race. I think she’s a group horse over a mile and a half. “
