Keys eyes home Cup glory

IN more than 25 years, no trainer has won the 2025 metre, TAB Cranbourne Cup, three times and it’s an achievement Ken Keys would love to pull off.
This year the Cranbourne trainer will be represented by his talented stayer ‘Bring Something’ in the listed $300,000 feature race on Cup day next Sunday 11 October.
Mr Keys has won the race on two occasions in the past in 2011 with ‘Boom N Zoom’ and in 2006 with ‘Blue Collar Jack.’
The last trainer to win the Cranbourne Cup three times was legendary racehorse trainer George Hanlon, in 1989, 1983 and 1980.
Bring Something kicked off his spring campaign at Caulfield on Saturday 26 September in The Cup Club Handicap (1700 metres), in which he finished 11th, six lengths behind winner ‘Kenjorwood.’
Mr Keys said he was happy with the Sebring gelding’s effort and looked forward to continuing his campaign through the spring.
“It was a good effort on the weekend.
“He only beat a few horses home, but it was over 1700 metres, which doesn’t suit him, he was first up and he was doing his best work late.
“It was as good as we could have hoped for,” he said, adding that his dream was to win three TAB Cranbourne Cups in the coming years.
“Bring Something is not a great chance this year; I think he’ll be better suited to Bendigo or Geelong Cup over more distance,” Mr Keys explained.
“But the dream is to win three, whether that’s this year or something we’ll keep trying to do.
“He’s never done this path though; he’s second up over 2000 metres, so he’s getting to Cranbourne while he’s still got some fresh legs- without a doubt it would be awesome to win the home cup again,” he said.
The field for next weekend’s TAB Cranbourne Cup will be released on Thursday 8 October.