Canberra trained Bacchanal Woman, whose name hails from the West Indies and translates to “party woman,” will be out to stake a claim for the $120,000 Wagga Gold Cup in Sunday’s Rundles Auctions Murrumbidgee Cup (1800m).

The eight-race Murrumbidgee Cup meeting ushers in the three-day, $504,000 Wagga Gold Cup carnival that ranks as the Riverina’s biggest tourist event injecting upwards of $13.8 million into the local economy.

Trainer Keith Dryden has eyed the Listed Wagga Gold Cup (2000m) on May 2 as an ideal target for the well bred mare.

Bacchanal Woman is raced by Lockyer Thoroughbreds headed by David O’Keeffe, the owner of this year’s early Golden Slipper favourite De Lightning Ridge.

“She has to come through Sunday convincingly to be a chance in the Wagga Cup but getting some black type against her name would help her broodmare potential,” Dryden said. “David buys fillies to help set up his plans for a boutique breeding operation.

“I had her (Bacchanal Woman) nominated for a Listed race in Sydney recently but she got balloted out.

“I’m happy with the way she’s going. She’s a mare with a good future I believe and she should improve further over ground.”

Dryden purchased the daughter of Encosta de Lago out of the Zabeel mare M’Lady Fonteyn for $70,000 at the Easter yearling sales.

“She was immature early and we’ve given her plenty of time,” Dryden said. “I had her in a couple of times, educated her and tipped her out again.

“David’s a patient guy. I think she’s (Bacchanal Woman) is showing the benefits of that early patience.”

The mare has three wins from nine starts and Dryden admitted to an error of judgement last start when she ran home strongly for a 1.2 lens fifth to So Bewitching over 1550m on the Kensington track at Randwick on April 1.

“We rode her a bit wrong,” Dryden said. “She was back second last on the home turn and got home hard. In hindsight we should have ridden her a little closer.”

Dryden explained the origin of the mare’s name.

“David is a keen cricket follower and has a house in the Bahamas and spends a lot of time there,” Dryden said. “Apparently Bacchanal Woman comes from the dialect of a local clan over there and means party woman.”  Bacchanal Woman will be ridden by Kevin Sweeney.

Nowra trainer Robert Price said on Friday top weight Step Forward was an unlikely runner.

“He‘s copped the visitors draw (barrier 17) and with 57 kilos it looks a big ask,” Price said. “After all the trouble we had in Adelaide I’ll probably give him a good spell through the winter and look at something like the Summer Cup at Randwick.”

Dryden and Price both agreed Guy Walter’s promising stayer Nikiforos (Tye Angland) was the horse to beat in the Murrumbidgee Cup.

By Tony White