Driving Titan Banner to win today’s New Brighton Cup could cap a career-defining week for Jonny Cox.
Only days ago, the trainer-driver was faced with one of the biggest calls a horseman can make — whether he should leave his position working and often driving at the races for the all-conquering All Stars stable of Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen.
It had to be a good offer to lure Cox away from turning up to work in the morning to see and sit behind pacers such as Lazarus and Heaven Rocks. An offer to train in partnership with Tim Butt, who prepared champion trotters Lyell Creek and Take A Moment, was too good for Cox to turn down.
The pair have announced the Tim Butt and Jonny Cox training partnership will officially start operating after Butt leaves for New South Wales to expand his training operation following New Zealand Cup week.‘‘I thought it was too good an opportunity not to have a crack at.
"It wasn’t an easy choice. Mark and Natalie have been good to me and have given me some nice drives along the way."
In a precursor to his new career move, Cox will go head to head against the Purdon-Rasmussen stable when he lines Titan Banner up behind the tapes.
Otago’s highest rated pacer opened a $3 favourite with bookmakers to down the classy All Stars pair of Have Faith In Me and Dream About Me on the back of his easily running away with the Maurice Holmes Vase at Addington.
The run was the Graeme Anderson-trained pacer’s first for the season and came without the horse having any public trials or workouts.
While allowing for his trainer’s supreme effort to get a horse ready to race, Titan Banner should strip an even better horse today.
"The All Stars pair will be hard to beat, but my horse has got a race under his belt and you can’t beat race fitness," Cox said.
"Titan has got pretty good manners and if we could keep in front of them it would be good."
Cox was at Addington on Wednesday morning when Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen gave 20 of their racing team private workouts at Addington on Wednesday morning.
After the hit-outs, Purdon was reported as saying Have Faith In Me, who is on the comeback trail after his career went flat with a mystery illness last season, was more forward for today’s assignment than Dream About Me.
Making the often wayward standing start beginner’s winning claims even stronger is that Have Faith In Me has been on his best behaviour this campaign, Cox said.
Cox also has the benefit of having driven another race rival, New Years Jay, in her most recent run for third behind her stablemate Titan Banner in his Maurice Holmes Vase win.
"The wet track didn’t really suit her. If it was a hard and fast track, she would have got closer."
"If it’s like that [today], she is definitely one they are going to have to watch out for because she has got good manners and that turn of foot that a lot don’t have."
- Jonny Turner
