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By Mark Brassel

After claiming the Bathurst Soldier’s Saddle on ANZAC Day, hard-working Orange-based trainer Lee Van Den Bos is chasing another feature win with Beau Hoffa.

Lee tends to her five-horse team of a morning then heads off to her job as a nurse supporting young men with disabilities and intellectual issues: “It can be tiring but I love it,” she said.

Beau Hoffa (Anthony Cavallo) - ready to claim another feature race win. Image by Bradley Photographers

Van Den Bos is likely to start Beau Hoffa in the $80,000 Pryde’s Easifeed Noel Leckie Country Cup (1400m) on Day 1 of Scone Race Club’s huge two-day cup carnival.

“It looks a nice race for him although I have also marked down the Parkes Cup (1600m worth $30,000) on Sunday. I’ll look at the fields before deciding but naturally, I’d like to go to Scone.”

Beau Hoffa bounced back to his best with a bold front-running victory in the Soldier’s Saddle (1400m) when heavily backed from $11 into $5.50.

Previously, the five-year-old pulled hard for most of the way before finishing fifth to Alvin Purple at Orange (1300m).

“I had blinkers on him and he went a bit fierce and wouldn’t come back underneath Jake (Pracey-Holmes),” Van Den Bos explained. “The winner gave him a bump at the 200m and that didn’t help, but he was tiring and knocked up.”

However, it was a different Beau Hoffa at Bathurst when he never looked in doubt: “He was dominant. He has high cruising speed and I took the blinkers off so he came out of the barriers a bit quieter.

“He veered out to the middle of the track with 200m to travel when Jake slapped him once with the stick on his right-hand side. But Jake immediately changed hands and he then straightened up.

“The form out of the race could be strong as the runner-up (Brother in Arms) has won four races and I did hear Bjorn Baker (trainer) was confident with his horse (favourite Mad for Art-finished third).”

Scone’s Cup Carnival offers nearly $2 million in prizemoney with two days of Fashions on the Field contests with a stack of prizes up for grabs.

Scone’s CEO, Heath Courtney, said: “We have a new gourmet food precinct with a big screen that adjoins another new activation consisting of the Iron Jack Bar, a Yalumba Wine bar and gourmet cheese outlet.

“Ticket sales have been strong but are still available in most areas including the prestigious Darley Marquee on the Friday and Inglis marquee on the Saturday. We’re looking forward to another strong carnival with massive prizemoney.”

Features are the $200,000 Darley Scone Cup (1600m) and $100,000 Inglis 2yo Challenge (1100m) run on Friday.

Tickets are online via - www.sconeraceclub.com.au