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By Glenn Davis
Toowoomba's father and son rivals, Matt Kropp and son William, lock horns in the Birdsville Cup on Saturday and are hopeful of snaring their first win in the outback feature.
Matt Kropp has sent a small team to Birdsville for the two-day carnival, which starts on Friday, while William hitched a ride on his father’s float with his sole starter, Lucky Exchange, in the Birdsville Cup.
Matt Kropp nominated three for the 1600 metre Birdsville Cup but will rely solely on Ella Te Ama.
Both Lucky Exchange and Ella Te Ama are raced in a big syndicate of owners managed by Rob Picking.
Matt Kropp is on his fourth trip to the outback but is yet to win the coveted Birdsville Cup.
“I’ve never won the Birdsville Cup but I was placed in it one year,” Matt Kropp said.
“It was about an 18-hour drive for us to get here but that’s because we go the long way around to stay on the bitumen road.”
Toowoomba | Toowoomba Turf Club | 5:43 PM
Ella Te Ama – a Savannah McCann mount – had her first taste of racing on a sand or dirt track when Matt Kropp took her to Bundaberg in July where she tailed off last in a field of nine.
The former Newcastle-trained mare was having only her second start for Matt Kropp and is coming off a last start fourth in a 1300 metre Benchmark race at Toowoomba on August 17.
“She ran a pretty ordinary race at Bundaberg as she had no idea about the kick back but then it was a much better effort when she ran fourth last time,” Matt Kropp said.
“Hopefully she can race a bit more forward in the Birdsville Cup and not cop as much kick back.”
William Kropp has booked Hannah Phillips to partner Lucky Exchange who is coming off a last start fourth in a 1625 metre Benchmark race at Toowoomba on August 24.
“He might get back a bit in the Cup but he’ll be strong late,” William Kropp said.
The Birdsville Cup is regarded as the Melbourne Cup of the desert and is part of the Simpson Desert Racing Carnival alongside the Betoota Cup and the Bedourie Cup.
The iconic two-day carnival kicks off with a six-race program on Friday and concludes with a seven-race card, including the Birdsville Cup, on Saturday.
Birdsville | Birdsville Race Club Inc | 3:59 PM
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