Gobstopper a force to be reckoned with in Egmont Cup
QUALITY five-year-old stayer Gobstopper will be one of the horses to beat in this Saturday’s Egmont Cup at Hawera.
The Andrew Campbell-trained son of Tavistock has been an enigmatic runner over the course of its career, but it has turned its form around with consecutive wins heading into the weekend.
The big front-running type has endured and relished the heavy tracks throughout the New Zealand winter and its last two wins have come by significant margins.
It won by 6.25 lengths in August and backed that win up with a 3.5-length win over a classy field last month. Those wins hold it in good stead for the Egmont Cup and it gets in perfectly on the weights.
“He’s come through that win great. We gave him a few days off afterwards to keep him fresh, keep his mind right,” Campbell told Horsebetting.com.au.
“He’ll get in with a light weight which is good. We’ve got Madan Singh on and he seems to get on well with the horse.
“We also claim another 3kg with him.”
Gobstopper gets into the Egmont Cup with only 51kg on its back and considering it carried 56kg to victory last start, another top effort is expected for the Australian-performed runner.
After yet another wet week in New Zealand which saw the abandonment of Livamol Classic day, the Hawera track is expected to be heavy, but that shouldn’t mind the winner of three from six starts on rain-affected ground.
“I’m picking it will be heavy, but he’s won his last two in the wet,” Campbell said. “In saying that, he also has two wins on a firm track as well.”
The Egmont Cup has been the plan all season for Gobstopper, but its ultimate goal is to run in the New Zealand Cup at Riccarton next month.
“This has been the plan all along to go to the Egmont Cup,” Campbell said. “Providing he goes well enough, we’ll head down south and try sneak into the New Zealand Cup with a light weight.”
Gobstopper is currently $26 at Bet365.com to win the New Zealand Cup, which is better than the $21 on offer with the New Zealand TAB.
Campbell said it will have only the two more runs this campaign before being set for the $500,000 Auckland Cup next year.
“That’s the plan. We’ll give him a breather after the New Zealand Cup so he’s only got two more runs,” Campbell said.
“We’ll give him a let up and set a preparation for the Auckland Cup.”
Gobstopper will be staying on home soil according to Campbell, after a failed attempt at racing in Australia as a three-year-old.
“Not at this stage. The Auckland Cup is worth going at,” he said. “It’s worth a few bob and it’s on our doorstep.”