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It’s a funny old card for Borrowdale Park on Sunday. At first glance it might look easy – the fields are mainly small – and then you begin to wonder who is there to make up the field or having a run while preparing for better things.

In many cases these horses, well performed or otherwise, are not running over their best distances – I think.

The feature race is the 1600m Independence Trophy, won in 2018 by Ashton Park with Simona second. In 2017 Duffi’s Call beat Windigo to the line.

The 2019 Independence field is certainly not short on quality – trouble is most might prefer further.

Of the nine runners Heir Line, Knuckleball, Amsterdam and Bush Pilot caught my eye. Then I began to wonder how they would fancy the mile, which brought Butchie Boy into the equation, and Pampas has won over 1700m. Of course, the unexpected rain we had earlier in the week might continue and put a different perspective on things.

Assuming that will not happen, I am leaning towards Bush Pilot, with Knuckleball, Amsterdam and Butchie Boy in the line-up. I am prepared to be completely wrong – Roman Discent has made fools of us before, and Fareeq has only had one start in Zimbabwe.

In any event this is going to be a very interesting race, giving us the opportunity to inspect some likely Castle Tankard runners.

The first race on Sunday is due off at 12.35 pm.

Photographs: Andrew Philip, Gavin Macleod, Jenny Stocks.

INDEPENDENCE TROPHY RUNNERS

PAMPAS – Drawn 2, 59 kgs (MR81) C Habib for Bridget Stidolph. Pampas seen winning over 1700m.

HEIR LINE – Drawn 3, 58 kgs (MR92) Wes Marwing for Kirk Swanson.

KNUCKLEBALL – Drawn 6, 58 kgs (MR89) R Munger for Penny Fisher.

AMSTERDAM – Drawn 9, 56 kgs (MR89) R Danielson for Kirk Swanson.

BUSH PILOT – Drawn 1, 56 kgs (MR83) D Habib for Bridget Stidolph.

ROMAN DISCENT – Drawn 5, 56 kgs (MR 80) N Takawira +1 for Bridget Stidolph.

FAREEQ (AUS) – Drawn 4, 54 kgs (MR89) ——–for Penny Fisher. Regrettably no pic of Fareeq.

MASTER ‘N COMMANDER – Drawn 8, 54 kgs (MR82) H Greyling for Penny Fisher.

MASTER SWITCH – Drawn 10 – SCRATCHED

BUTCHIE BOY – Drawn 7, 54 kgs (MR77) B McNaughton for Bridget Stidolph.

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