DISTRUSTFUL AWARD BIDS FOR LONGFORD CUP DOUBLE

By Graham Potter | Thursday, January 1, 2026

It is more than a little bit off the beaten track for most Australian racing enthusiasts, but that will certainly not take the gloss off the day for those attending or dent any enthusiasm of those participating in the Longford Cup race-day in Tasmania on New Year’s day.

Last Year’s Cup winner Distrustful Award is back looking for another slice of the Longford Cup pie. The Peter Luttrell trained six-year-old beat Swoop Dog home by 0.50 lengths in the 2025 edition of the event, striking at a starting price of $11 under the 3kg claiming apprentice jockey Catherine Munster.

The gelding had previously been in the care of trainer Paul Preusker (for five starts) and the training partnership of Grant and Alana Peters (for three starts), before transferring to Luttrell’s yard.

He came to Luttrell still a maiden, and, in the subsequent fifteen starts for Luttrell, Distrustful Award has saluted on three occasions, including running up back-to-back wins when going straight from his Maiden win on December 27, 2024 to that Open Handicap win in the Longford Cup five days later.

His third and biggest career win came in the $250 000 Launceston Cup on February 28, a race in which he saluted at a starting price of $21 when upstaging the Ciaron Maher trained, $1.65 hot favourite Promises Kept, who had to settle for second place.

In his last two starts since resuming from close to a two month layoff, Distrustful Award finished sixth in the $200 000 Listed Seymour Cup, 2.12 lengths behind the Henry Dwyer trained Cote Atlantique … and fifth in the $500 000 Geelong Cup behind the Paul Preusker trained Torranzino, who would go on to finish fifth in the Melbourne Cup behind Half Yours.

So, clearly, the task of completing a Longford Cup double should be well within Distrustful Award’s capabilities.

He certainly appears to have a significant edge in form on his six rivals and that fact is reflected in the weight Distrustful Award has been set to carry … 60kg … but Luttrell has looked to offset that disadvantage by giving the 4kg claiming apprentice Kirra Lee-Lane the ride, who replaces Anthony Darmanin who partnered Distrustful Award in both the Seymour and Geelong Cups.