Albany Racing Club to host Jericho Cup Qualifier for second year running

Albany will host an exciting racing venture for a second year in a row with the Jericho Cup Qualifier set down for this Sunday at Percy Spencer Racecourse.

The qualifier guarantees the winner a place in the esteemed Jericho Cup in Warrnambool, an annual event that was first raced in 1918 and boasts a total prize pool of $304,000.

The Albany qualifier will be run over 3100m, two circuits of the race course on the day.

There were 20 nominations for the $100,000 race, including last Sunday’s Albany Cup winner Tena Koutou.

However, it was lumped with 62kg and was scratched by trainer Adam Durrant before final acceptances.

Albany trainer Roy Rogers will saddle up Classic Jack in the race and Chris Nicoll will ride the six-year-old for the third time this month.

Local jockey Natasha Faithfull will ride Kieran McDonagh-trained Final Chill, who gets in on the minimum 54kg.

Sugar Cain ran second in the Albany Cup and is among two entries for trainer Grant Williams in the Jericho.

Racing and Wagering WA will again provide $20,000 to the winning horse and trainer to aid in travel expenses to Victoria.

If the winning horse isn’t able to make the trip, it will be offered to the second-place runner in the race.

Albany Racing Club general manager Mark Bayliss said the event is shaping up to be a fantastic day out.

“It’s great for the event to be held in Albany and it’s going to be a good family day for everyone involved,” he said.