Andrew Gluyas has rarely taken horses to Tasmania as a solo trainer, but he is optimistic that his five-year-old mare, Arugamama, is well-positioned to make an impact in the upcoming Group 3 Hobart Cup (2400m) this Sunday.
Previously working in partnership with Leon Macdonald, Gluyas co-trained Pretty Punk to victory in the 2018 Hobart Cup. Interestingly, Pretty Punk is a half-sister to Arugamama, with both being out of the Kurofune mare, Reliability.
“Leon was sort of a stalwart of bringing horses down here,” Gluyas said.
“I think our last effort was probably Pretty Punk, who is the half-sister to Arugamama. So that was 2018 I think, so we’re having another crack.”
Arugamama has a solid record with six wins from 28 starts. She recently secured back-to-back victories in Adelaide over 2400m and 2500m before finishing a close fourth at Flemington over 2000m. Gluyas believes the shorter distance in her last race didn’t play to her strengths.
“We used that (Flemington) as a stepping stone to get here. She raced well over sort of twenty-four, twenty-five (hundred metres) at home, we just used that as a bit of a stepping stone to get down here,” Gluyas said.
“So it worked well, she raced well, she rallied in the straight to run fourth. So that was a pass mark for us to come down here with a bit of confidence.”
Despite this weekend marking Arugamama’s twelfth start in a preparation that began last August, Gluyas is confident in her ability and pleased with how she has adapted to Tasmania.
“She came down last week, early last week, staying with Siggy (Sigrid) Carr. She’s helped us out there and I’m very happy with the way she’s come up for Sunday’s racing,” Gluyas said.
“She’s got good form, she’s sustained a long preparation. We had her up for Spring and it took her a while to hit form, but she’s done that really since October, we took her to Caulfield and then we got her out over ground, and hit form since then.”
“So if we consider that she’s still in form then she ought to be around the mark.”
Jockey Jamie Melham, who previously delivered Gluyas his most significant career win by guiding Goldrush Guru to victory in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m), will take the reins on Sunday, carrying 54kg—a factor that further boosts Gluyas’ confidence.
“When you can grab a top jockey like that in a good race, you’ve always got a bit of confidence,” Gluyas said.
Arugamama will start from the widest barrier in a field of eight and has been well-supported in betting markets. She is currently listed as a $3.30 second favorite with betting apps, just behind the Ciaron Maher-trained Promises Kept, who leads the market at $2.80.