3 minute read

Extensively travelled Jeremy Gask has a select and productive stable at Scone and a big win recently at Newcastle by promising Crop Duster has the four-year-old gelding hard to beat at Friday’s Muswellbrook TAB meeting.

Crop Duster ($5.50 on TAB), also nominated for Gosford on Saturday where he is an $8.50 chance, contests the Muswellbrook Coal Company BM 66, 1000m with 58.5kg again for Andrew Gibbons.

Gibbons rode a super race to win from near last three weeks ago on Crop Duster with 60.5kg.

Gask started training in South Australia and then spent a decade in Great Britain regularly mixing with the elite with runners at Royal Ascot acrnivals.

"He's a really nice type but coming back from 1200m to a 1000m with his racing pattern and temperament is the issue," Gask explained.

"He does get back and while he was so strong, he can over-race unless there's a solid tempo. Hopefully that will be the case at 1000m.

"We'd looked at the Highways with him, but there wasn't anything suitable at the time."

The Highways are in recess over the Group Carnivals at Royal Randwick last Saturday and Rosehill Gardens this Saturday.

"We'd nominated for two meetings with a watch on unpredictable weather.

"I don't have many in work, he's one of the few outside horses, I mainly train in with close mates."

At Newcastle in a 1200m BM 58, Crop Duster with 60.5kg well backed at $3.20 was second last turning and powered to win in the last few strides.

Gask, who trained over 200 winners in South Australia before training in England, has almost certainly already experienced a career finest galloper.

Over a decade ago, his 13-race winner Medician Man ran in seven Royal Ascot Carnivals, contested the Group I-King's Stand for six successive years, was beaten in a photo in one and won his final race at an incredible 11 years in Dubai in 2017.