25 March 2019 | Paul Courts
SUNDAY’S Whyalla Cup has been tentatively placed on Whenmechief’s schedule.
Winner of Saturday night’s Port Pirie Cup, the gelding will be given the opportunity to add another feature to his tally providing it fits into trainer Darren Billinger’s busy weekend.
Billinger is heading to Melbourne for a function on Saturday night, with an expected mid morning home arrival.
That will provide the astute horseman with enough time to make the long trek to Whyalla providing the Cup is conducted late on the program.
“I’m looking at the Whyalla Cup with him but it will all depend on how well things fall into place,” Billinger said.
“It is a twilight meeting, which should mean the Cup is later in the day, which gives us time to make it.
“I will call the handicappers in the morning to try and get a time off them and go from there.”
Returning to his best form in recent weeks, Whenmechief began well from his 10-metre mark for driver Greg Rogers to work to the front as early leader, Ideal World, was eased to take a trail.
Striding clear around the final bend, the son of Stonebridge Regal dashed to an 18-metre victory from Ideal World, with Alldaybliss three-and-a-half metres away third.
“He has been terrific in his work and that is coming through at the races,” Billinger said. “He is a lot more like his old self. I couldn’t be happier with his run.
“If we can’t get to Whyalla I will just have to go through the program and find the next suitable target.”
Rating 1:59.1 over 2530 metres, Whenmechief stretched his record to 25 wins and 32 placings from 139 starts for earnings of $176,359.
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