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By Doug Ryan

Laurieton’s 84-year-old great grandmother, head syndicate owner Jan Tate, fears the record impost of 66kgs for Port Macquarie gelding Glitra makes it hard for it to win the Hydra Hose Summer Cup at Taree on Christmas Eve.

The “find” of early this season with four wins is resuming in the 1250m cup at Manning Valley Race Club’s TAB meeting and will have its handicap reduced by 1.5kgs with Wauchope apprentice jockey Mollie Partridge taking the mount.

The four generations involved in Glitra will be trackside hoping that their pride and joy can give away up to 10.5kgs to his opposition and win for trainer John Sprague. He is happy with his “big fella” who won a barrier trial with Partridge aboard at Taree last Monday.

“I didn’t want to leave him too long in the spelling paddock because being a big horse it then gets difficult for him to get the condition off,” he said. “But I have to start him with the big weight because there are no other races available at Newcastle or Wyong and he needs a couple of races under his belt should we want to go to Sydney.”

Glitra won from 1200m to 1624m before stepping up to 2000m of the Taree and Port Macquarie Cups before spelling.

“He is a lovely horse with attitude but he does bite and kick,” Mrs Tate said.

“We have had more fun with him than any other racehorse and we just love local racing where all the family can enjoy watching.”

Sprague said Glitra had pulled up well after the just over two lengths trial win and had a good shine in his coat.

It is a big weight for Glitra to lump but he does put himself up on the speed and if rated well could stave off some talented visiting gallopers from strong provincial stables.

Nicely in on the weights is Taree six-year-old mare Hesco Gold, trained by Bob Milligan. She has run well in city and provincial company and should be ready third up from a spell, after a good third at Coffs Harbour, to give Sydney head owner Allan Chiswick, a regular visitor to local races, a good sight.

Wyong trainer Damien Lane said his resuming mare Cervinia, which won three races in a row at Kempsey, Gunnedah and Gosford last campaign, has trialled well and should be “very competitive.”

It is a very open race.

Port Macquarie trainer Neil Godbolt, fresh from a winning double at Taree last Monday and then celebrating his wife, Maxine’s birthday the next day, has three-year-old gelding Harnova on trial for better races should it run well in the Hydra Hose Class 3 Handicap over 1250m.

“I was happy enough with his last run (4^th at Taree) but he is still a bit green,” he said. “He got back last time and is still learning to race.”

He said he would like to be involved in the heat for The Country Championships at Port in February should Harnova recapture its two-year-old winning form.

Port trainer Jenny Graham is also hoping for a big run from I Wanna Be A Jeep in the same race which boasts plenty of talent.

View the fields and form for Sunday's Taree meeting here.