Taiyoo looks as though he will spearhead Darren Weir’s hopes of a hometown cup success later this month.
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The Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock-owned stayer is being targeted towards the Ballarat Cup, which Weir has not won since way back in 2004 with Just The Part.
Weir’s racing manager Jeremy Rogers said Taiyoo is the stable’s leading contender for the listed feature, to be run over 2200m on Saturday, November 19.
Rogers said there is other Weir runners also heading towards the race.
Taiyoo ended a long winning drought with last Wednesday’s Kyneton Cup success, with the victory his first since February 2015, when he won the group 3 Lord Reims Stakes at Morphettville before his narrow second placing in the group 2 Adelaide Cup.
The win at Kyneton also came a day after ATB finished agonisingly close to winning the group 1 Melbourne Cup with import Heartbreak City.
ATB owner Darren Dance, who is based in Ballan, said the horse’s move from Weir’s stables in Warrnambool back to Ballarat had helped recapture some of his better form.
“I credit it to Darren Weir bringing him back to Ballarat and the Ballarat Veterinary Clinic identifying what was wrong with him and getting it sorted,” Dance said.
“He had a sore throat essentially and Darren just changed his training around and has been able to switch him on.
“That’s why he’s the number one trainer in Australia.”
Dance said the seven-year-old would be hard to beat in the Ballarat Cup should he recapture his form from a couple of years ago and is hoping for a dry track on raceday for the horse to show his best.
Taiyoo’s regular rider Brad Rawiller, a winner of four Ballarat Cups including last year’s race aboard Junoob, is hoped to take the ride, said Dance.
