Ron Quinton never managed to win the Lord Mayor's Cup during a decorated career as a jockey but he is well placed as a trainer to claim the off-season feature race.Quinton will saddle up Crafty Irna in this year's edition at Rosehill on Saturday, confident the mare can end a luckless autumn campaign with a win in the Listed race."I considered her a fraction unlucky in a couple of those runs over the carnival," Quinton said."She hasn't got a great turn of foot and that lack of tactical speed went
Ron Quinton never managed to win the Lord Mayor's Cup during a decorated career as a jockey but he is well placed as a trainer to claim the off-season feature race.
Quinton will saddle up Crafty Irna in this year's edition at Rosehill on Saturday, confident the mare can end a luckless autumn campaign with a win in the Listed race.
"I considered her a fraction unlucky in a couple of those runs over the carnival," Quinton said.
"She hasn't got a great turn of foot and that lack of tactical speed went against her a few times."
Crafty Irna will bring genuine stakes form to the table in the $100,000 event after an interrupted carnival campaign produced two placings from four starts.
"She was beaten a combined margin of just over seven lengths in those four starts which shows how honest she is," Quinton said.
A Lord Mayor's Cup win would cap a memorable autumn for Quinton after Ofcourseican beat a top handicap field of fillies and mares in the Group One Coolmore Classic.
Ofcourseican was sent for a spell after her All-Aged Stakes placing to Atlantic Jewel and Quinton said Crafty Irna would join her stablemate in the paddock after Saturday's race.
"It would be lovely if she could finish off with a win before she goes for a holiday," he said.
"By sending her for a spell now it gives her every chance to have a long and productive spring."
Quinton said he wanted to give the 2011 Group Three Adrian Knox Stakes winner another chance over 2400m.
"The Metropolitan is the race she'll be set for," he said.
"She raced in the Metropolitan last year but physically she's improved a lot. She's a lot stronger.
Crafty Irna suffered a setback before she tracked wide only to be beaten less than a length into fifth behind Skyerush in the Emancipation Stakes at Randwick last month.
Skyerush is also among the 15 Lord Mayor's entries with trainer Guy Walter chasing a third Cup win since 2005.
Gai Waterhouse has nominated Herculian Prince and Kinnersley in a bid to continue her sequence of Sydney feature race victories.
Chris Waller, who has had his Sydney premiership lead reduced to 10 wins in the wake of Waterhouse's recent spree, has nominated five horses - Firebolt, Snow Alert, The Verminator, Vintedge and Wazn.
Glyn Schofield takes over from Hugh Bowman on Crafty Irna on Saturday.