Top weight no worry for Armidale Cup contender Point Counterpoint

Trainer Stirling Osland isn’t a stickler for weights and measures so remains confident Point Counterpoint can lug a big weight and win Sunday’s $60,000 Tooheys Armidale Cup (1900m) while warning the lighter-weighted stablemate Kingstar Bullet shouldn’t be underestimated.

On one hand, Point Counterpoint has a 5kg disadvantage (aside from carrying 62.5kg) against Beckford compared to their meeting in the $150,000 Country Classic at Rosehill two weeks ago where they finished alongside each other in fourth and third respectively.

And he is 4kg worse off for running second to Beckford in last year’s Armidale Cup, run at Tamworth, having since won the Moree Cup and a midweeker at Canterbury.

But, on the other, Osland said the home track is a plus for his five-year-old as is a much smoother build-up into his hometown Cup, which is a Big Dance-eligible race.

Point Counterpoint ran fourth in the $500,000 Little Dance off an interrupted preparation and Osland said that was a factor in his Country Classic finishing position.

“He missed a run between Canterbury and the Little Dance, he’d had one run into his legs in pretty much eight weeks and we got found a little bit short,” he said.

“We were looking at the Big Dance Wild Card race and he missed that with a minor problem and I think it came back to bite us at 2000m.

“We’re pretty confident with the two-week back-up he will better for it.”

While Point Counterpoint is racing on his home track, Beckford – who ran 10th in the Little Dance – is unbeaten in two starts at Armidale and Osland said how the race is run would be vital.