Scone trained Crop Duster’s dominate win in Saturdays TLE Jungle Juice Cup (1350m) at Newcastle could secure the gelding a start in the $250,000 Barn Dance at Randwick on November 5. The iconic Jungle Juice Cup Cessnock’s famous race from 1981 until the track was sold after the 2019 event was held at the Newcastle Racecourse for the fifth time on Saturday.
Crop Duster put the writing on the wall with a gutsy performance when an unlucky second on the track in his previous start. He travelled three wide with no cover that day and kept coming. The five-year-old was the $3.70 favourite on Saturday and jockey Andrew Adkins gave him the perfect run in fourth place before making ground near the home turn. Crop Duster proved to be the strongest on the closing stages, beating Dreamdeel by .67 of a length with Dances With Hooves third. Crop Duster bred by former Newcastle Jockey Club Chief Executive Matt Benson and was raised by his trainer Jeremy Gask on the Hunter Valley property where the trainer lives with wife Kerri a part owner of the horse along with Benson and other Newcastle Novocastrians. Crop Duster has won five races, three at Newcastle for prizemoney of $151,075. Gask was confident of victory and praised Adkins’ ride.
“This horse is jumping much cleaner these days and Andrew put him in the right spot from the start. The Barn Dance is for country horses on Melbourne Cup Day, and I will nominate him for the race. Matt Benson and I both come from Adelaide, and he watches his horse race on Sky” Gask said.
The trainer started his career in Adelaide before a successful 10-year stint in England. The family have been at Moobi near Scone for six years on the 130 Acre property and have 12-15 in work at any time. The Gask’s daughter Darcey is a foreman for Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald at Warwick Farm.
Australian and Newcastle Hall Of Famer Robert Thompson who rode eleven winners of the Jungle Juice Cup at Cessnock accepted an invitation from the Newcastle Jockey Club to officiate at the Jungle Juice Cup Presentation following the race.
Sam Kavanagh was the only Newcastle trainer to saddle up a winner on Saturday.