Jericho Cup attracts 32 nominations

Australia’s longest flat race, the $300,000 Jericho Cup over 4600m, has attracted 32 nominations for its second edition at Warrnambool.

The Jericho Cup was first run on the desert sands of Palestine in 1918, and the race was revived 100 years later by Victorian philanthropist and amateur war historian Bill Gibbins to commemorate Australia and New Zealand’s light horse involvement in World War I.

The 2018 Jericho Cup was won by the Anthony Freedman-trained High Mode and the course the horses compete on also comprises the paddocks used for the Grand Annual Steeplechase circuit.

The entries for this year’s Jericho Cup on December 1 includes six horses guaranteed a start having won a qualifying race, with the event restricted to horses bred in Australia or New Zealand and to highweight riders.

Ablaze, Da Deputy, Firefree, Hello My Friend, Ten Tigers, and NZ-trained Aigne are those to have won ballot-exempt races while the remainder of the field, which has a limit of 14 runners plus emergencies, will be made up of horses who have earned the most points in qualifying races.

Should there be at least 24 acceptors for the Jericho Cup, the meeting will include a $40,000 Repechage over 4065m.