Snowden happy to be home in Scone Heading home: Peter Snowden. Part of Peter Snowden will never leave Scone, which is why he says he is going home this weekend. For the past couple of years it has been a joyful homecoming for the Darley head trainer, who has lifted the Scone Cup with Dysphonia and Raspberries. The wins made up for missing out on riding the winner of the cup in his youth on Green Court. "I was an apprentice and I broke my foot in the days leading up to the race in the barriers," Snowden said. I had to stand there and watch John Wade win on Green Court by 10 lengths. It was pretty disappointing because it was such a big thing to win the Scone Cup. Snowden has scaled much greater heights in his career as a trainer since but getting back to the Hunter Valley is high on his list each year. "It always took a good horse to win the cup and was always a big day," Snowden said. It has just got bigger and bigger with the stand-alone Saturday and more competitive. It is the home of [the] thoroughbred in this country and needed a meeting like this one. It is great for me because I get back there to see my family and friends and I always want to have a winner because I know they are following my horses. Raspberries returns to defend her Scone Cup crown, which has been the focus of the Lonhro mare's campaign. She ran close-up fourths in the Newcastle Newmarket and Doncaster Prelude during her campaign before being a bit disappointing late in the Emancipation Stakes behind Skyerush last time. "She has had the four runs and they have been good and have got her ready for this race," Snowden said. She has got a good gate and should get the right run if she is good enough. Tableaux and Pattamada make up the rest of the Darley team for Friday, while half dozen line-up for the breeding giant on Saturday, including Shannara and Forfeiture in the Dark Jewel Classic. Shannara, a sister to Lonhro, won the Dark Jewel in 2011 and was runner-up to Upon This Rock last year. Darley will have a couple of runners in the Fred Best Classic at Doomben, Gold Coast Guineas winner Academus and Complicate, which will be without blinkers for the first time after firing up when fifth in the Hawkesbury Guineas. "There is plenty of speed in that race and I think they will both race well," Snowden said. We have taken the blinkers off Complicate after Hawkesbury because he got going a bit too keen and I think he will settle without them. Academus was good at the Gold Coast and this is the next step for him.