Space Tracker aims for bullseye in Pink Ribbon Cup at Gold Coast

On Saturday at the Gold Coast, the Annabel and Rob Archibald trained gelding is one of the fancied runners in the $105,000 Pink Ribbon Cup (1400m).

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“He’s a horse that we originally thought would be a miler, a Big Dance horse perhaps, when we purchased him in Europe,” managing owner Grant Morgan said.

“We thought he would be a miler, but he just didn’t really get a mile.

“He showed some promise in Sydney with Annabel but probably lacked that little bit of toughness to get a mile.

“So we changed him back to focusing more as a sprinter more than a middle distance horse.

“That seems to have done the trick.

“And Queensland has really been his friend.”

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Space Tracker might be trained by NSW-based trainers, but his last dozen runs have been in the Sunshine State.

In a Pink Ribbon Cup riddled with scratchings, Space Tracker is the $3 second pick behind Tony Gollan sprinter Amur ($2.30).

“I did the speed map and form analysis for clients on Thursday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised when I pulled up the page from Racing Australia and I saw a lot of scratchings and the favourite (Bunker Hut) had come out,” Morgan said.

“It looks a winnable race, although I did think Tony Gollan’s horse is the one to beat.

“But we are certainly on the up, we should be fighting out the finish.”

In a sliding doors moment, Morgan originally had the option to purchase either Space Tracker or Fawkner Park out of Europe.

While Space Tracker has been a solid performer, Fawkner Park has won over $2m for connections after being purchased by Bennett Racing.

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“The slightly sad story about that sale was that I tossed up buying either Space Tracker or Fawkner Park,” Morgan said.

“My agent works for a lot of people, both horses were on our list but we eventually dropped off Fawkner Park.

“The boys at Bennett Racing stuck with Fawkner Park and we went Space Tracker’s way.

“It might have been one that got away.”

Morgan’s all-gold colours will also be seen on another pair of horses on the Gold Coast on Saturday, including David Vandyke-trained Lady Lucifer who is the $2.90 favourite in the BM70 Handicap (1400m).

Emily Lang retains the ride on the mare after conjuring a masterstroke to win at Doomben last start.

“Full credit for that win goes to Emily Lang because the trainer wanted to scratch when he saw the barrier and then it was originally the intention to ride the horse quietly and hit the line,” Morgan said.

“But Emily came out of the jockeys’ room and said ‘no guys, we are going forward’.

“She was ultra impressive.

“We always thought Lady Lucifer was going to be a black type mare, but we lost our way with her a little bit.

“It just took some different riding tactics and maybe even a female touch to show her best.”

Originally published as Space Tracker aims for bullseye in Pink Ribbon Cup at Gold Coast