POOR DRAW NO BARRIER THIS TIME FOR RED SPECTOR

SOME trainers have luck with barrier draws, others don’t!

Put Jake Hull in the latter category, when it involves his lightly-raced four-year-old Red Spector this preparation.

Thankfully though for the Gosford trainer, frustration turned to joy yesterday at Grafton’s opening day of the famous July carnival.

Despite having to jump from the nine gate in a field of 11, Red Spector ($1.90 favorite) was up to the task in the Class 1 Handicap (1215m), and gave his young trainer his 17^th success of the season.

Jockey Ben Looker went back on Red Spector, and was last at the 600m.

He had no option but to hook Red Spector to the extreme outside in the straight, and the gelding overpowered his rivals to post his second win at only his sixth start.

“The barrier draws have been very frustrating, especially when you have a horse who is going as good as I knew Red Spector was,” Hull said today prior to making the trip home.

“He ran second over 1250m first-up from a long break at Taree last month when he jumped from the outside gate in a field of 12, then I had to drop him back to 1000m there three weeks later because there was no other suitable race.

“He ran fourth after jumping from 12 in a field of 14, and yesterday’s race at Grafton was the one I had really targeted.”

Hull admitted he took two horses to Grafton, expecting to take both home as winners, and was a bit deflated when three-year-old filly Red Chick ($4.80), also ridden by Looker, ran fourth in the previous race.

“She ran okay and wasn’t beaten far, but then when Red Spector got back to last, I thought this was going to be one of those days and it would be a long trip home.”

It wasn’t one of those days. Red Spector surged home to defeat Meadowbrook ($6.50) and Almost Maybe ($6) in a manner which suggested it wouldn’t be his last win.

Hull revealed Red Spector’s lengthy absence from the track was the result of a most unusual occurrence.

“He resumed from a break at Gosford 12 months ago and ran fourth in a 1200m Class 1 Handicap,” he said.

“However, he didn’t race again until June 5 this year.

“An abscess blew out the back of a fetlock, and it took a long time to get him right again.

“Red Spector is going really well, and I’ll take him through his grades.

“There’s another nice race for him in the country in a few weeks”

Hull understandably likes taking horses to Grafton as he has enjoyed good success at the Northern Rivers track.

One of those successes was with another lightly-raced Ferinzo in the Springboard To Fame 2YO Plate (1175m) at the July carnival wo years ago.

Whilst he plans to head back north again on Sunday with Zouking for a support race at the Big Dance Eligibility South Grafton Cup meeting, he was hoping to kick off both Ferinzo and another talented stablemate Valilee later in the carnival.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think that will happen,” Hull said.

“Both are coming off good spells, and it looks as though time has beaten us getting them to Grafton.”

Local Rock The Machine, courtesy of his Prelude 2230m) victory yesterday, automatically secured a start in Thursday week’s Grafton Cup (2350m), whilst Coffs Harbour-trained My Mum’s Toyboy made it 10 wins from 18 starts in the John Carlton Cup (1190m), and also became exempt from ballot for Wednesday week’s Ramornie Handicap (1200m).

STORY JOHN CURTIS, JULY 6, 2026 - PICS BRADLEY PHOTOS