IN-FORM Bendigo trainer Mick Sell is hoping his stable’s great form continues on Jayco Bendigo Cup day.
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Sell has trained seven winners from 43 starters in the 2018-19 season, to lead all Bendigo trainers heading into cup day.
His horses have finished either second or third on nine other occasions, including the up-and-coming mare River Lee, who was second in a $100,000 race at Morphettville last Saturday.
The four-year-old has earned a well-deserved spell after a lengthy campaign that yielded wins at Geelong and Bendigo and a pair of seconds at Morphettville among six starts.
Sell, who relocated his stable to Bendigo from Kyneton in July this year, will have a pair of runners on cup day, the five-year-old gelding Carlingford and five-year-old mare Ardra Storm.
He rated both as ‘definite chances’.
“Both horses are going well … Ardra Storm had her first start at Kilmore this time in and ran very nicely,” Sell said.
“She got beaten less than four lengths, which we were happy with.
“Carlingford is going along nicely too … he hasn’t won a race this time in, but has run some very nice placings.
“They’re both drawn well and are definitely in with a good chance. They should be thereabouts.”
Sell believed a winner on cup day would be the icing on the cake for his move to Bendigo.
“Every trainer likes to get a winner on their local cup day,” he said.
Beyond Wednesday, Sell has plenty to look forward to with his consistent mare Penny to Sell qualifying for the $200,000 final of the Melbourne Cup Country Series, to be run at Flemington on VRC Oaks day.
The seven-year-old qualified with her second placing in a heat at Geelong last week and will be one of two Bendigo-trained gallopers in the final at this stage, alongside Danny Curran’s gelding Welcome Stryker.
Fellow Bendigo trainer Shaun Dwyer will attempt to join his counterparts on Oaks Day, with his mare Savaju engaged in the final heat at Bendigo on Wednesday.
Sell has Prince of Rock nominated for Friday’s Kilmore meeting.
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