By Ray Hickson
Her half-sister has already been to the Big Dance but three-year-old filly Two Aye will be out to do something her elder sibling One Aye couldn’t do and that’s win on debut at Wagga on Sunday.
The daughter of Deep Field lacks a little experience given she’s only trialled once but co-trainer Matt Jones said it’s important she kicks off with the Wagga Cup carnival under two weeks away.
Jones, who revealed the Joseph Jones team will be sending horses to this year’s Coffs Harbour Cup carnival, said Two Aye is very raw but is showing some talent.
“She’s a lovely animal but you never know what you’re going to get,’’ he said.
“Her jump out was disgraceful, her trial was fantastic. That’s just her, she’s a bit of an enigma.
“Even her sister was like that early on. She looks a lot better type than her sister.
“We’d like to have another trial but we wanted to give her race experience and it’s a small field. You don’t get paid for trials.”
Two Aye, $5 with TAB on Saturday, was runner-up to multiple city winner Distillate in her Canberra trial on April 14 and while beaten five lengths Jones said she did more than enough.
There are two races for Two Aye on Wagga Cup Day, May 5, depending on how she performs in the John Clark Handicap (1000m) on Sunday – a 1200m Maiden and a 1200m Class 1.
“We opted for the 1000m race over the 1200m because her main goal is over the Wagga carnival,’’ he said.
“We’re giving her the experience on Sunday and it wouldn’t surprise me if she won it.”
As for One Aye, Jones said the mare is being aimed at the Coffs Harbour Cup (1600m) in August to qualify for a second shot at the $2m Big Dance having run a respectable seventh in the inaugural running.
The five-year-old won the Forbes Cup last year to earn her Big Dance ticket.
“She’s going really well and she’s not far off at all,’’ Jones said.
“We wanted to take a team up there this year. Try somewhere else. We go to Mudgee, Wagga obviously, Albury, Gundagai, around New South Wales and we thought we’d give Coffs Harbour a try.”
The Joseph Jones stable already has Snake Gully Cup winner Super Helpful and Bega Cup winner Manderboss in the Big Dance mix this year.
Kokoro runs second at Kensington on March 8
Jones is keen to unleash Akeed in the Merchant Navy At Kooringal Wagga Town Plate Prelude (1200m) at his first run for the stable.
The seven-year-old, whose last win was in the Moruya Town Plate in December, was formerly trained by Jamie Stewart and will race in blinkers in his return from a six week break.
“I’m really looking forward to that horse running,’’ he said.
“He came to us in good condition, we’ve had him for a month and has been going through our systems. He looks a million dollars so we’re looking for a forward showing.”