Dryden, Snowden chasing Moruya Cup-Town Plate double

Jan 5, 2026

A couple of ‘soft’ draws have boosted the prospects of a Laurel Oak Bloodstock, Keith Dryden and Libby Snowden clean sweep of Monday’s Big Dance Eligibility Moruya Cup and Town Plate.

The trio is represented in the Cup by Mighty Myrtle while another Laurel Oak home-bred, Fangela, will fly the flag in the Town Plate.

Mighty Myrtle has won four times in her 14 starts together with three placings.

That said, the daughter of Merchant Navy posted back-to-back PBs at the start of 2025 – finishing fifth to stablemate Sunchyme in the SERA Qualifier, upping the ante a month later when fourth in the Southern Wild Card.

Mighty Myrtle drew 10 of 12 at Rosehill at her most recent outing but has been dealt ‘the one’ in Monday’s Cup.

“She was ridden too far back at Rosehill,” Dryden said. “We’re going to try and be a little bit closer from that barrier on Monday.

“Her work has been good and if she can repeat her first-up run, I think she will be competitive.

“I’d like to see a little bit of rain, she doesn’t like it too hard, she likes that little bit of sting out of the track.

“I just looked at her in her box (on Saturday) and she was standing there and I thought, well you’ve put a little bit of condition, she’s blossomed up and has got plenty of dapples so I think she is kind of back to where she was when she was running really well.”

Dryden, and co-trainer Snowden, have presented young apprentice Jessica Brookes with the opportunity to star on the big stage on Monday when she takes 2kg off Town Plate topweight Fangela, who will jump from barrier 2.

“Young Jess is on loan to me for three months,” Dryden explained.

“Her first ride for me, she won on Fangela, so she deserved the ride on him on Monday.

“He’s just a go-forward horse and when we won the other day, I said to Jess ‘I want you to ride it like Jack Brabham’.

“I went to a luncheon one day for Jack Brabham and they asked him why he was so successful and he said ‘I try to win the race from the lead in the slowest possible time’.

“So I said to Jess, go out there and you’ll be in the lead and go as slow as you can possibly go and just kick and that’s what she did.”

Words: Shayne O’Cass
Image: Bradley Photos

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