A significant hurdle stands in the way of champion trainer Peter Snowden’s ambition for a record-extending seventh Ramornie Handicap win. His charge, Fire Star, has drawn the widest barrier for the $200,000 Listed feature race at Grafton on Wednesday. Fire Star was assigned barrier 14 in the Ramornie Handicap, a race that has attracted a full field of 16 runners, along with five emergencies. Snowden’s sprinter could potentially improve its starting position to barrier 11 after scratchings.

Snowden has an outstanding record in the Ramornie Handicap, having claimed six victories over the last 16 years with horses such as Ka Bling (2024), Ranges (2022), Signore Fox (2020), Calanda (2017), Jerezana (2011), and Pinwheel (2010). TAB Fixed Odds price assessors are taking notice of Snowden’s Ramornie success and have Fire Star at $10 in early betting, trailing behind the Tony Gollan-trained Perielle, who is the $4.80 favourite.

Complementing the Ramornie Handicap, the Clarence River Jockey Club’s midweek program on Thursday features the Listed $200,000 Grafton Cup (2350m), which has drawn a class field of stayers. The Tom Charlton-trained King Pedro, a recent winner of the Stayers Cup at Rosehill, is the $2.40 favourite in the early markets, with Pounding and So You Are listed at $6.

Michael Beattie, the CRJC chief executive, expressed his considerable satisfaction with the quality of the fields assembled for both the Ramornie Handicap and the Grafton Cup. “The Ramornie is a bit of a stand-alone for the genuine 1200m horse, it’s like we are the only show in town at this time of year,” Beattie commented. “But that is not the case for the Grafton Cup so I am especially pleased with the field we have for Thursday’s race. The handicappers have come up with a good weight scale for the Cup and that has virtually ‘invited’ all the better horses to come for the race.”

Beattie also noted that the Grafton track had performed well during the previous day’s South Grafton Cup meeting, where the Charlton stable achieved a potential feature race double when Mr Chaplin won a Big Dance qualifier. However, he confirmed that the rail would be moved back to the true position for the Wednesday and Thursday race meetings.

For those keen to place a bet on the Ramornie Handicap, comparing the latest betting markets available across various betting sites can be a strategic move.