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By Greg Prichard

The grand old man of Mid North Coast racing, Ross Stitt isn’t exactly sure just how many Krambach Cups he‘s won, but even in his 80s he’s still trying to add to the tally.

Stitt will run Casirina ($5.50 on TAB) in the $37,000 Bakewell Haulage Krambach Cup at Taree races on Friday and the six-year-old grey gelding should perform well.

Casirina (Brooke Stower) return after a Taree win. Image by Trackside Photography

The Taree trainer has fond memories of the race and the horses that have won it for him, including Stop A Punch about 40 years ago.

“I’ve won a few Krambach Cups,” Stitt said. “I really couldn’t say for sure how many, but quite a few. Seven or eight I’d say.

“I won one, it’s going back a lot of years, with a horse called Stop A Punch, in the 1980s. That was one of my better horses to win it.

"He won 30-odd races and not just in the country but in town as well. He won a Chisholm Handicap at Randwick, which they used to run around Christmas time.

“Stop A Punch won at his first start and his last start and the Krambach Cup may have even been his last race. He raced until he was eight years old, I think.”

The Krambach Cup will be run over 1600m and Casirina is a winner over that distance at Taree. He has won twice at the track and finished second or third there four times as well.

“The horse is fit and well, he goes good here at Taree, he’s got the right weight and he’s drawn a nice barrier in two,” Stitt said.

“He’ll get back in the field as he tends to do, but it’s not a strong field. He was a bit disappointing at Newcastle last start, but I don’t think he likes that track.

"Better to look at his previous run at Taree when he was held up in the straight and finished fourth. He was terribly unlucky that day.

“He needs a good pace and a clear run and then he’s a chance. He can’t be getting held up. If he has a bit of luck in running, then he can do something.”

Casirina has been ridden by many different jockeys in his 41-start career for six wins, 10 seconds and five thirds and Jenny Duggan will be added to that list on Friday.

But Duggan is at least familiar with the horse, having ridden him in two barrier trials at Taree before he began his current campaign: “She’ll have a fair idea how he goes from the trials,” Stitt said.

Dreamdeel, trained by Allan Kehoe at Wyong and to be ridden by star apprentice Dylan Gibbons, is the TAB favourite for the race at $3.60 but will have to come from the outside barrier in the nine-horse field.

*Gates open at 11.30am. First race 1pm. Admission $10 and $5 concession. Full bar, bistro, TAB and bookmaker facilities.

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