Green Shadows to chase a return to the Big Dance at Tamworth meeting
The Rosehill training combination of Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou will attempt to qualify talented performer Green Shadows for a second straight Big Dance when it tackles Thursday's $200,000 Tamworth City Toyota Tamworth Showcase Cup (1400m).
Ryan and Alexiou managed to win last year's Goulburn Cup with Green Shadows, before the son of Menari went on to finish 13th behind Gringotts in the Big Dance at Randwick in November.
The five-year-old hasn't raced since then and resumes in the Tamworth feature on the back of two barrier trials.
'The Tamworth Cup looks a nice race for him to kick off his campaign in,' said Ryan. 'We've given him a couple of trials, and he was beaten just under a length and a half in the latest of them at Randwick.
'Braith Nock takes the ride on him at Tamworth, and he's drawn a good barrier.'
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Green Shadows is a winner of five of his 27 starts, with a further six second placings. He's earned almost $470,000 and first prize in the Tamworth Cup is worth $109,000.
'He's been a consistent horse for connections, and you'd love a stable full of a horse like him,' said Ryan. 'He won his first start in a race at Goulburn, has taken on Group 1 company in his career, and is still going as well as ever.'
Green Shadows will face stern opposition in the Tamworth Cup with the Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald trained stablemates West Of Africa and Sibaaq lining up.
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