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By Greg Prichard

Cool Duke’s owners are so excited about the potential they see in the horse they have already splashed out $3000 to buy tickets in The Kosciuszko sweepstakes draw and plan to double that outlay before ticket sales cease.

Trained by Wayne Wilkes at Taree and a winner three times in his four career starts, Cool Duke is being readied for a return to racing in early September that will effectively be an audition for all potential slot-holders.

But Cool Duke’s managing part-owner Scott Foster says the ownership group is hoping to take out the middle man and win their own slot.

Cool Duke's managing part-owner Scott Foster

The $2 million The Kosciuszko will be run over 1200 metres at Randwick on October 19.

Punters can go in the draw to have a horse run for them in The Kosciuszko by purchasing sweepstakes tickets at $5 each via TAB through agencies, the TAB app, pubs and clubs and at race meetings until September 9.

The 14 slot-holders will be drawn on September 11 and they will then be able to do a deal on a prizemoney split with the connections of eligible runners trained in the NSW country or ACT.

“We’ve pooled $6000 and I’ve already bought $3000 worth of tickets on behalf of the group,” Foster said.

“Now I’m going to wait until the middle of August - just to spread it out a bit - and buy another $3000 worth then.

“Cool Duke has done well so far. Now we’ve got to hope he can take the next step and Wayne thinks he’s good enough to do that.

“That’s why we’re having a good crack at trying to win a slot.

“If we don’t win one then we’ll obviously be hoping he comes back strong, wins a decent race and gets his name out there for those who do win slots to think seriously about him.”

The highly respected Wilkes has only ever had one starter in a Kosciuszko - Fuel, which finished unplaced in the first running of the race in 2018.

But he’s never stopped searching for the horse that can take him back there and he has enormous belief in Cool Duke’s ability to do that.

“He’s just doing a bit of pacework at the moment,” Wilkes said. “I’m planning to give him a couple of runs before the Kosciuszko and hopefully he will have done enough early on to get a start.

“There’s a TAB Highway over 1200 metres at Randwick on September 7 and that might be ideal for him, before the slot draw is done. It’s the chance for him to advertise himself at the perfect time.

“He’s obviously a new kid on the block trying to break through for a run in The Kosciuszko, but I think the 1200 at Randwick will definitely suit him.

“Back in his first campaign he had two barrier trials and then won his first three starts before he went to a Highway. I think he was a little bit over the top by then, but he still ran well and finished fourth.

“It was a good time to put him away then, with The Kosciuszko in mind.

"If he comes back as good as he was in his first campaign I believe he’ll be right in the mix to get into the race.”

Cool Duke is at the juicy odds of $51 with TAB to win The Kosciuszko.

Buy your $5 tickets in The Kosciuszko here