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By Geoff Newling

Last start Tamworth winner Rockatorio will run in a Cup race this weekend – just whether it is at Moree on Saturday or Gunnedah on Sunday is yet to be decided.

Nathan Sinclair prepares the seven-year-old gelding son of Oratorio at Moree for Tamworth owner Trevor Davis and has nominated Rockatorio in Saturday’s $5000 Boolooroo Cup (1400m) at the Moree Picnic Race Club Cup meeting, which is the first of the Golden Triangle picnic race series. He has also nominated him for Sunday’s $40,000 Hope Fuel Gunnedah Showcase Cup (1600m).

However, Rockatorio is second emergency in Sunday’s Cup at Gunnedah, a race Nathan Sinclair is “sweating” on a start.

“Yeah, hope he might get a run there but it doesn’t look like it,” Nathan Sinclair said. “That sort of race is one where no-one would want to scratch. That’s the hard part. Whether I start at Moree on Saturday or I scratch and hope for a start at Gunnedah. I can leave it to 7.30am (Saturday).

“He will run a good race (wherever he starts) though. He raced well at Tamworth the other day. I was a little bit worried about jumping from the 1200m (at Coonabarabran) to the 1600m but he did it well.”

Rockatorio has had just the three starts for Nathan after owner Trevor Davis rang him to see if he was interested in leasing the gelding recently. Nathan was, and in three starts for the young Moree trainer has won at Warialda and Tamworth as well as finishing second at Coonabarabran.

If Nathan doesn’t start Rockatorio in the Boolooroo Cup at Moree he will still have a runner in the Cup: “Deceitful Don,” Nathan said. “He will race well.”

His father, Peter Sinclair, also has two runners in the Boolooroo Cup: “Track Flash will be hard to beat on his run at Quambone,” Nathan said. “Real Blonde will be hard to beat too if she puts her mind to it. Depends on which one turns up.”

Warwick Farm-based trainer Greg Hickman has also confirmed Dream Folk will run in Sunday’s Gunnedah Cup, chasing a win in his hometown Cup.

“Aaron Bullock will ride him,” Greg Hickman said today. “He’s a great rider, we’ll get back just how far we’ll see.”

Hickman started Dream Folk last year but he never finished off and finished midfield: “I’ve had a couple of cracks at winning the Cup now. I’ll win it one day, whether it’s this year or next, I’ll win it one day. It’s a great excuse to come home.”

Hickman believes it is another strong Cup field and thinks the Damien Lane-trained Choice Larga might be a major threat.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Gunnedah here