Trainer Will Clarken is aiming for his third success in the feature race at Murray Bridge.

After winning with Agreeable in 2022 and Cartoon Graveyard last year, Clarken, now preparing his team with Charlotte Sorby, will enter Cicala into the Listed Murray Bridge Gold Cup (1600m) on Saturday. Cicala is arriving off a closing fourth place in the Listed Balaklava Cup (1600m), a race which was the mare’s first attempt at the distance under jockey Jamie Melham. Rochelle Milnes is set to resume her partnership with the five-year-old mare on Saturday.

The five-year-old was a specialist over short courses at the start of her career, winning from 1050m to 1200m, but as she has matured, Cicala has gradually stepped up in distance.

“It’s very open and that’s the standard of horse they are,” Clarken commented. “There doesn’t seem to be anything that is on the way up and we have probably seen their PB’s in life. Air Assault is clearly the best horse in the race, but he has to carry the best horse’s weight all the time because his rating is so high. My mare, I reckon if Jamie had her time again, she would show a bit more urgency out of the gates, and I think she should have run second and made a good fist of the mile. Second time at the mile (on Saturday), she might be a bit more seasoned, and it will be interesting to see if she can find a length or so.”

Milnes will need to navigate barrier 17 on Saturday.

Clarken mentioned that there is good speed drawn around his mare.

“There’s three ways of doing it,” Clarken explained. “We throw caution to the wind and roll forward as the speed is around us. My cousin’s horse, Bootlegger (Dan Clarken), he’ll go forward and the topweight, Air Assault, it’ll roll forward, and all three have drawn out there. We can either go with them, or we grad hold and try and get back in three-wide line with a bit of cover. There is rain predicted and if it does come, that could help horses getting off the rail in the home straight.”

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