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By Geoff Newling

Present Sense will back up in Monday’s $30,000 Hopefuel Gunnedah Cup (1600m) after drawing well and overcoming a tough run in last Sunday’s Narromine Cup.

The Craig Martin-trained gelding son of Bryannbo’s Gift drew ideally in barrier one this morning and will drop 1.5kg in weight after carrying 57kg to a two length third to A Magic Zariz in Sunday’s 1600m Narromine Cup.

“He will back up in the Gunnedah Cup,” Craig Martin confirmed. “That was always the plan, to run in the Narromine Cup and come back to Gunnedah. He was a tad underdone for Narromine but pulled up okay.”

While he will have 55.5kg in Monday’s Gunnedah Cup he will meet one of his main adversaries, the Brett Cavanough-trained Avroson, a kilogram better for a 1.38len second in the Curlewis Cup at Gunnedah on July 7.

Present Sense had 56kg that day and drops a half kilo while Avroson had 54kg when he won that Curlewis cup but has 54.5kg on Monday. He will go from barrier four while Present Sense jumps from the one alley.

Both horses have been in good form, Present Sense won three in a row before notching a pair of seconds in the Curlewis Cup and the Maclean Cup at Grafton and then his gallant third at Narromine on Sunday.

“He has done a great job for us,” Martin said. “He won his first race for us and now he’s running in Cups,” he said of a gelding who has won four of his 17 starts for $78,350 in prizemoney. He was bought as a birthday present to his son Liam.

Avroson followed his Curlewis Cup win with a 2200m success at Grafton on July 12 during the Clarence River Jockey Club’s monster July Racing Carnival before heading to Sydney to finish ninth in a $100,000 Open handicap over 1800m.

Stablemates Yours Mine Ours (9) and Escebee (12) have drawn wider barriers in the main support race, the $22,000 Fuchs Lubricants Lightning (1000m) while Tamworth trainer, Sue Grills, also has a pair of runners in the sprint – Hammoon Boy (1) and Polskie Prince (6).

2015 Gunnedah Cup winner, Pippi’s Pride, is also in the Lightning, although the Stephen Gleeson-trained gelding drew wide in 11.

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