Hype claims Cups double in Mackay

By Glenn Davis

Tasmanian galloper Hype claimed his second Cup of his Queensland winter tour with a dominant performance in the Mackay Cup on Saturday.

Hype won the Rockhampton Cup last month to give trainer Aiden Nunn one of the biggest wins of his career and the gelding again proved superior with a decisive one length win over Townsville Cup-winner Warp Speed in the 2000 metre feature.

Nunn follows the polo circuit and heads to Queensland each winter with a small team and this year based himself at Beaudesert, south of Brisbane.

Hype, who did his early racing in Ireland, was perfectly ridden by South Australian jockey Teagan Voorham, who also partnered the seven-year-old in his Rockhampton Cup triumph.

Nunn bought Hype for only $38,000 at an online auction after he won at Doomben in June of 2023.

From 22 starts, mostly in Australia, Hype has now won seven times and placed three times for prize money earnings of more than $325,000.

Nunn considered setting Hype for the Townsville Cup before deciding to aim for the Mackay Cup ahead of his dream of claiming a trifecta of Cups in his home state.

“It was awesome to win the Mackay Cup as it ticked a lot of boxes with him by stepping up to 2000 metres,” Nunn said.

“He’ll go for a break now and head for the Tasmanian summer races in the Devonport, Launceston and Hobart Cups.

“It’ll fit in nicely when he goes for a break as my polo events start up again next week.”

Earlier, trainer Graeme Green pulled the right reign with his rising star Top Spy who made it a one-act affair of the Belle Of Whitsunday.

Top Spy, ridden by Justin Huxtable, made light of her top weight of 65kgs to demolish her rivals with a near five length win over the heavily-backed Tycoon Baby.

Green feared Top Spy would fail to make the Mackay Cup field, so he decided a week out to concentrate on the Belle Of Whitsunday.

“As it turned out she might have just scrapped into the Mackay Cup with a few scratchings, but we made the right decision to go for the Belle Of Whitsunday,” he said.

The Belle Of Whitsunday triumph gave Top Spy her third straight win in the  2024 Northern Winter Carnival series for fillies and mares.

“That was the best win of her career considering the manner in which she won,” Green said.

“It was something truly special.”

Green now plans to target a Saturday race in Brisbane with Top Spy. 

“We know what sort of horse she is now, so I’ll take her home and get her ready for a race in Brisbane in the next few weeks,” Green said.

“Next year she’ll be my Rockhampton and Mackay Cup horse.”

The Magic Millions Whitsunday Guineas was won by the Clinton Taylor-trained Viennawaitsforyou who was eased down on the line to beat Townsville Guineas winner Beau Rain.