Tycoon topweight shock in Adelaide Cup
Justin Warwick received a shock yesterday when he discovered Perth Cup winner Black Tycoon was likely to carry topweight of 59kg in next month's $400,000 Adelaide Cup (3200m).
Forty entries were received for the State's premier distance race, to be run on March 10, which included last week's Mornington Cup winner Instrumentalist, Perth Cup runner-up God Has Spoken and last year's winner Rialya.
Black Tycoon's rating of 103 is the highest in the entries, two points clear of both God Has Spoken and the Mick Kent-trained Epingle.
The Chris Waller-prepared Instrumentalist is rated 99.
Racing rules stipulate a minimum topweight of 59kg in the cup.
Handicapper Craig Kutcher is yet to determine what the minimum weight will be, but yesterday indicated it would be higher than 53kg.
"That's good news," Warwick said when he was told the limit was likely to be higher than 53kg.
"I haven't had a chance to look at the entries (because) I have been that busy with sales and races. We'll have to wait and see what happens."
Black Tycoon finished fourth, beaten less than two lengths, behind Pop Culture in last Saturday's Detonator Stakes (1800m) at Ascot.
It was the gelding's first race since the Perth Cup (2400m) on January 1.
"He has done well, but he has a couple more work-outs to do before we look to head over," Warwick said.
Steven Parnham will ride God Has Spoken, who runs first-up in tomorrow's Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield, after his trainer-father Neville's hopes of a Mornington Cup start were derailed by a hoof abscess.
Meanwhile, Chris Parnham has sustained a major setback in his bid to break into the Sydney riding ranks.
Parnham, who was on a three-month loan to trainer Gai Waterhouse, broke his right wrist in a fall last week and is expected to sidelined for at least three months.
"When the doctor looked at the X-ray he didn't think it was too bad," Parnham said. "But when he saw the MRI and then operated he said it was much worse than he'd thought."
·Bunbury-born rider Damian Lane, who now rides with success in Victoria, will wear the State colours of black and yellow at the inaugural State of Origin jockeys' challenge to be held on Bunbury Cup day on March 13.
Former WA hoop Dominic Tourneur will represent SA, while Tasmanian-born WA-based jockey Glenn Smith rides for his home State, with Chris Symons (Victoria), Jeff Penza (NSW) and Glen Colless (Qld) also set to compete. One-time Singapore jockey Noel Callow will be the international rider.
"He has done well, but he has a couple more work-outs to do before we look to head over.""Black Tycoon's trainer *Justin Warwick *
