3 minute read

Lethbridge breeder-trainer Jordan Cooper has two super siblings with ‘Crackerjack Paws’ heading to Sydney on Saturday night.

And it's anticipated you'll 'hear the Thunder' from Wentworth Park!

Cooper will rug litter brothers Crackerjack Aret (Box 4) – Heat 3 (Race 7, 8.32pm) and Crackerjack Boom (Box 1) – Heat 4 (Race 8, 8.52pm) – in preliminaries of the Group 1 Paws Of Thunder (520m).

Crackerjack Aret – a winner of 14 races with five seconds and two thirds from 47 starts – last year was a finalist in the G1 Hobart Thousand and G2 Warrnambool Cup, and a semi-finalist in the Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park.

Crackerjack Boom – which has won on 13 occasions with eight seconds and seven thirds from 47 starts – last year was a G1 Maturity Classic and has won twice, 29.80sec (Box 2) and 29.81sec (Box 1), at Wentworth Park.

"If 'Aret' gets the room, and things go his own way, he's far quicker than 'Boom'," Cooper advised. "A vacant box (Box 3) inside him obviously helps.

"And I'm really happy with the 'red' (Box 1) for 'Boom'. That's where he wants to be."

Cooper rates Crackerjack Aret in the same company as another litter brother – 2023 G1 Hobart Thousand winner and 2023 G1 Adelaide Cup finalist, Crackerjack Bull.

"I don't know who would win between the pair if it was a match race. This litter has helped me on my journey in the sport – it's been a great ride!"

Crackerjack Aret is $5.50 on Sportsbet to win his heat and $26 on 'All In' betting, while Crackerjack Boom is $4 and $23 respectively.

Cooper estimates his Feb '21 Fernando Bale x Maximum Kack litter of 11 (8 male, 3 female) has won almost $465,000 in prizemoney.

Devon Meadows husband-and-wife team Peter and Natalie Presutto will also launch a dual challenge in the Paws Of Thunder heats with 'super mum' Idolize (26 from 56 – $387,179) and her close relation Exalted (14 from 41 – $109,775).

Peter will rug Idolize (Box 6) – Heat 2 (Race 6, 8.11pm), while Natalie will rug Exalted (Box 2) – Heat 3 (Race 7, 8.32pm).

Idolize – which early last year whelped a litter of three pups sired by retired superstar Shima Shine – hasn't raced since finishing fourth in the 2023 G1 Melbourne Cup on December 2.

But she relishes her forays to Sydney, having won five races (with one second) from seven starts at Wentworth Park.

Idolize won a G1 National Futurity defeating litter sister Chic and was a G1 Golden Easter Egg finalist – both in 2022 – and last year finished second in a Million Dollar Chase semi-final before winning the MDC Consolation a week later.

Exalted won the G3 Silver Bullet, finished runner-up in the G3 Cup Night Sprint and was a finalist in the G2 Cranbourne Cup – all in 2023.

Idolize is $3.20F on Sportsbet to win her heat and $9 on 'All In' betting, while Exalted is $3.30 and $15 respectively.

Meanwhile, a small – but classy – Victorian contingent will contest heats of the G1 National Derby (520m) and G1 National Futurity (520m) at Wentworth Park on Friday night.

Recent G2 Queensland Derby winner Morton – trained by Jessica Sharp – headlines the 'Big V' in the Derby heats. Sharp also has Stormy Day engaged.

Our other 'great white hopes' are Jeff Britton's quartet – House Of Turbo, Mepunga Shine, Mepunga Smokey and Weblec Wolf – and Got The Cash, trained by Matt Lanigan.

Flying the flag for Victoria in the Futurity heats are Mepunga Luna and Groovebird (both Jeff Britton), I'm A Mustang (Matt Lanigan) and Aunt Virginia (John Paraskevas).

Pawnote: Triple G1 staying finalist Zoha Bale, trained by Mark Delbridge, will 'fly solo' for Victoria in the Summer Distance Plate (720m) on the Paws Of Thunder program.