VICTORIA’S leading trainer Darren Weir will attempt to win his second Western District cup within in a week when he saddles up Shikarpour and Benefactor in the $20,000 Mortlake Cup on Saturday.
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Weir, who has a satellite stable in Warrnambool, won the $60,000 Hamilton Cup last Sunday with Leica Day and has booked John Allen to ride Shikapour and Jack Hill for Benefactor.
Warrnambool trainer Symon Wilde will try and add another Mortlake Cup trophy to his mantelpiece with Finley Harper.
Wilde won the 2008 cup with Key Symbol. Kapu Star took out the 1600-metre race for the stable in 2010, while Straight Jacket won the feature race for Wilde last year.
Fellow Warrnambool trainer Aaron Purcell will decide on Saturday morning if Siga La Vaca runs in the Mortlake Cup or is saved for a restricted race at Ballarat on Monday.
“We’ll weigh up our options on Saturday morning,” Purcell said.
“Siga La Vaca had no luck at Warrnambool two runs ago. I think he may develop into a Saturday metropolitan horse with a bit of time.”
The Mortlake Cup, which is race six on the seven-race program, is scheduled to start at 4.59pm.
