For a trainer with less than a handful of horses currently in work, Graham Hulm is a small player who should make a big impact with his team during the Albury Gold Cup Carnival.
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Hulm prepares his four-horse squad in Albury and has enough fire power to draw plenty of attention over the two days of the carnival this Sunday and the following Friday.
The trainer is in dashing form with three winners from his past nine starters and one of his best prospects is four-year-old mare Supply Money who will contest the $150,000 SDRA Country Championships Qualifier (1400m) on Sunday.
“She’s (Supply Money) as honest as the day is long,” Hulm said.
“She is a 1600m horse so she’ll be strong over the 1400m. My only concern is she’s a class two horse in a class five race.”
Supply Money has raced just eight times for two wins and three placings, including successive victories at Wangaratta (1590m) and Corowa (1600m) last December.
“She drew wide at Wangaratta (barrier 11) so she had to work hard to go forward and be near the lead but just kept going and it was pretty much the same thing at Corowa.
“She led them and beat off all the challengers down the straight.”
At her last start on January 17 Supply Money finished second to Dreadlock at Wagga (1400m).
“She ran second to a pretty smart horse and stuck on well over the last 200m. The winner has since run in Sydney.
“She is up in grade on Sunday but if she draws an alley she’ll keep them honest.
“I’ve freshened her up since her last run in January with a couple of weeks on the water walker.”
Hulm barrier trialled Supply Money at Wangaratta when fourth on March 6:
“She was a little disappointing although it was only 900m and she’s a miler. However, I’m expecting her to run a big race in the Country Championships Qualifier.”
Regular jockey Amanda Masters will again take the ride on Supply Money, having ridden the horse seven times from her eight starts.
“Amanda knows the horse very well so we’re happy to keep the partnership going.”
One of the stable’s kingpins, Lord Von Costa, is a Stakes-winner of nearly $150,000 and will be returning from a spell at Albury, last having raced at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day.
The horse is likely to be entered for the $50,000 David Wallace City Handicap (1175m) next Friday and will be hard to beat having won the Listed Cresswick Stakes (1200m) down the Flemington straight last July.
“He’ll be first-up on Albury Cup Day and is coming along nicely for his return,” Hulm said.
“He is a classy sprinter and he should prove hard to beat.
“I also have his half-sister (by Ilovethiscity) running at Albury and she is pretty good.
“I trialled her at Wangaratta on March 6 and she was caught four-wide the entire trip and still beat them easily. She will go well on debut.
“I’ll also be taking Smakatus and he is an honest type who always puts in 100 per cent.
“He won’t have had a run for a month but is a city winner in Melbourne and Brisbane and goes okay fresh.”
*SDRA: Southern Districts Racing Association
- This preview of the Championships is brought to you by Racing NSW. Mark Brassel writes for Racing NSW Magazine, at racingnsw.com.au and thechampionships.com.au
