Preparations for the 2024 TAB Adelaide Cup went up a notch on the weekend with the running of the Group 3 Lord Reims Stakes.
With the first three to cross the line gaining automatic entry into the Adelaide Cup, the early markets showed The Map (Dan Clarken & Oppy MacGillivray) and Grand Promenade (Shane Jackson) as favourites for the race.
The race was eventually won by the Patrick Kearney-trained Yellowbrick Road, steered home by Jake Noonan in a hotly contested finish, edging out The Map (Lachlan Neindorf) and Hasta La War (Teagan Voorham).
It was a first Group win for Kearney who has only been training for two years, and purchased the gelding online for $8,000.
“I was sitting on the couch having a couple of beers one night and thought, why not.
“I love this horse and cannot believe it. He’s so tough and he tries his guts out every time,” he said.
The original plans for Yellowbrick Road were to head to Tasmania for the Launceston Cup but the stable opted to make the trip to Adelaide and work towards a start for the Adelaide Cup.
“Dreams are free and if he wins in that, we may have a crack at the Melbourne Cup,” he said.