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Surety's sure-fire Bangalow Cup run

Adam Hicks
7th October 2008

Bangalow Cup winner, Surety crossing the line.

The Northern Star

SURETY ($3 favourite) was a sure thing from 100m into yesterday's $11,000 Frank Scarrabelotti Memorial Bangalow Cup (1300m).

The five-year-old gelding jumped well, took the lead early, and cleared out by the halfway mark in just its second start out of the Stephen Lee stable.

If it wasn't spitting rain, the rest of the field would've been eating its dust as jockey Joshua Jones held a five-length lead into the straight.

Gairloch ($6) and Punch the Air ($6) closed the gap in the run home but Surety was just too good, recording a two-and-three-quarter length win.

The victory sealed a treble for Lee and Jones who combined in earlier races at the Ballina race track for wins with Swift 'N' Dapper ($1.90) and Honourstar ($6).

Lee said he brought the horse up from Melbourne specifically for owner Gary Nash to target the Bangalow Cup.

Nash, one of the organisers of the day and owner of the Cup's major sponsor, Coopers Shoot Orchards, was delighted with the win.

“I've sponsored this race since 2001 and I've had a couple of runners in it before but they were never quite good enough,” he said.

“I bought this horse and said to Stephen I want to win the Bangalow Cup, and we've done it,” he said.

“I'm from Bangalow and I love the Bangalow community and we've put a lot of effort into it (the Cup).

“I especially wanted to win today because it was the Frank Scarrabelotti memorial – I had a lot of time for him.”

The win was made sweeter by his connection with Lee and Jones.

“I always have about six horses in work with Stephen,” he said.

“We're real good mates and I've known Josh since he was a little boy – it's nice to win with friends.”

Nash also said he was surprise by the ease with which Surety won.

“It looks like we might have a decent horse on our hands,” he said.

c/o Northern Star

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Surety's sure-fire Bangalow Cup run