TOOWOOMBA trainer Troy Pascoe will not have a runner in this year’s Ipswich Cup, ending hopes of a return to the race that delivered the most memorable victory of his career just 12 months ago.
Pascoe etched his name into Ipswich Cup folklore in 2025 when outsider Flash Aah stunned the racing world at odds of $31 to claim the city’s premier feature.
Earlier this year, Pascoe had identified promising mare Dracena as a potential contender for the 2026 edition, telling Local Ipswich News in April that he believed the four-year-old had the quality to measure up in the famous race.
“She’s a very nice mare and I think she has that sort of quality about her,” he said at the time.
The daughter of Dracarys and Vistanova has shown plenty of promise in a lightly raced career, recording two wins and four placings from just nine starts while earning more than $180,000 in prize money.
Her biggest success came at Doomben in July last year when, under Anthony Allen, she captured the $85,000 QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap, defeating talented galloper Ramp It Up.
However, Pascoe confirmed this week that Dracena’s progress has been interrupted by a series of setbacks, ruling her out of this year’s Ipswich Cup.
“Won’t have a runner this year which is a bit sad,” Pascoe said.
While disappointed to miss this year’s race, the trainer remains hopeful Dracena can develop into a genuine contender for the 2027 running.
The mare has not raced since finishing fourth in a field of nine in August last year, although she has returned to the trial track in recent months.
Pascoe’s absence from this year’s field comes after one of the great Ipswich Cup fairytale stories.
Flash Aah was largely overlooked by punters before producing a stunning performance to deliver Pascoe and his stable a career-defining victory.
Reflecting on that triumph, Pascoe said the veteran gelding’s resurgence was extraordinary.
“He’s been a wonderful horse for many years but to recapture his best form as a nine-year-old is one hell of a feat,” he said.
“I don’t think you’d find many horses capable of reaching their top so many years apart.”
While Pascoe will be watching from the sidelines this year, the memories of Flash Aah’s upset victory remain fresh.
The Ipswich Cup will be run on Saturday, June 20, with thousands expected to descend on the Bundamba track.
