Nuclear primed to launch big run in Matt’s Cup quest

Nuclear primed to launch big run in Matt’s Cup quest
Big finisher Going Nuclear is always the underdog, but that doesn’t faze
his trainer Matt McGuire going into Saturday’s Ladbrokes Townsville Cup
(2000m).
The tough six-year-old is one of five locally trained contenders chasing a
home town win on Saturday, and despite a timed-to-the-minute
preparation is again at roughie’s odds of $23.
McGuire, 33, was born to be a trainer in a household where for many
years mum Michelle trained and dad Patrick did the race riding.
After six years of training and 90 winners, he knows from experience to
not get too carried away, but he’s expecting the ever consistent Going
Nuclear and his young jockey Olivia Kendal to give a great sight in the
North’s biggest race.
“Whenever the markets come out for all of his races, he’s over the odds
for how we think he will go,” McGuire said.
“He keeps turning up, he keeps performing well and in recent starts he
keeps winning.
“For some reason, he flies under the radar. He’s beaten a lot of the
horses he’s up against on Saturday and he’s an underdog again. Let’s
hope he proves them wrong.”
Raced by a big group of loyal owners from around the North, Going
Nuclear joined the McGuire stable from Victoria two years ago and has
since won seven races from 1200m to 1609m – all at Cluden.
But it was this year that McGuire thought the son of sprinting sire Nicconi
might be ready to step up for a possible cup tilt.
Any reservations he had went out the door when Going Nuclear stormed
to victory in the Magnetic Mile on June 26 and secured an automatic in
the Cup.
Although unproven at 2000m, Going Nuclear ran home strongly to finish
sixth to Journalism and Odegaard in the HL Black Memorial in Mackay
over 1800m on July 17 at his most recent run.

McGuire was buoyed by the effort and says the six-year-old gelding is at
his peak for Saturday.
“Dad rides him in all of his work and gave me the thumbs up,” McGuire
said.
“It’s a slightly tricky draw in gate 14 but fortunately there seems to be a
bit of speed on the inside of us and hopefully we can get a nice cart
across to land mid-field.
“Everything has gone pretty much to plan coming into the Cup.
“We got him qualified and took him for the trip to Mackay to get more
miles into his legs and we were really happy with his performance down
there.
“We’ve had the little three week buffer to freshen up here to get ready for
Saturday which has been ideal.
‘If we happen to get a bit of luck and win the race it would be a huge
feather in our cap.
“It’s something you can always talk about over the bar over a few beers
– to say you’ve trained a Cup winner.
“Even having just a live chance in the race is pretty exciting.
“We think he can run out a strong 2000m, especially if there’s a bit of
tempo in the race.
“Every time we put him over a mile he’s never let us down and over the
1800m in Mackay his sectionals were amazing.
“With Olivia on I think that’s half the secret too. He can be a bit quirky to
ride especially mid-race.
“Olivia’s association with the horse is pretty special and to win it would
also be a big boost for her so early in her career.”
Townsville’s other hopes for a home town win in the Cup rest with
veteran Hopeful for trainer Graham Hughes, Aged Care prepared by
Gary “Muttaburra” Dickson, John Joseph from the stables of premier
trainer Georgie Holt, and fourth emergency Tony Comerford’s Ready
Tiger.