Bride Backing Up at Albury on Friday

Second last Saturday over 1900m at Rosehill, the Bjorn Baker-trained 5yo gelding Kiss The Bride (Savabeel-I Do, by No Excuses Needed) heads to Albury this Friday to contest the $200,000 Listed Albury Cup (2000m), a distance the Waikato Stud yearling sale graduate has previously been successful over. Currently a good-rated track, with the possibility of showers on Friday, the Kayla Nisbet-ridden Kiss The Bride does have form on all track surfaces, and from barrier 6, is likely to head forward and be in a strong position throughout. Set to have his eighth run this time in, Kiss The Bride will lack nothing on fitness, and while the Nick Ryan-trained race favourite Mahamedeis (Magnus-Elusive Magic, by Elusive Quality) does look hard to beat off recent form when sixth behind Star Of The Seas (Ocean Park) in the Gr2 Blamey Stakes, he hasn't greeted the judge in some seven months so may be a risk. Out of the Gr1 Makfi Challenge Stakes winner I Do, a half-sister to the Listed-winning, Gr3 placed Iggi Pop( Savabeel), a win on Friday for Kiss The Bide, would see his Waikato Stud-based multiple Champion Sire Savabeel )Zabeel-Savannah Success, by Siccess Express) achieve his one hundred and thirteenth individual stakes-winner.