There are five meetings set to take place on Thursday, including two in New South Wales with both Ballina and Wagga set to race.
Dusan @ 5.00
Duty Calls @ 2.60
Oimbari @ 5.50
A good 3 track is expected at Ballina, with the fifth race of the day a Benchmark 66 handicap over 1015m.
Racing second up, Almighty Rising is expected to have his supporters as he seeks his first win since scoring in impressive fashion on Gold Coast’s polytrack in November 2023.
Since then, the gelding has registered a couple of placed efforts at the same venue and he returned to action with a seventh over 1200m at Murwillumbah last month.
The six-year-old was beaten just over four lengths when contesting a Benchmark 58 handicap held on a soft 7 track on that occasion.
A wide barrier isn’t ideal here and, while he shaped as if a drop in distance would suit last time, it can pay to look elsewhere.
Samantha McGuren saddles DUSAN here with the gelding having won twice in 2024 with both of those wins coming over 1010m at Murwillumbah in June.
The first of those two victories saw the gelding salute by over two-and-a-half-lengths in a Class 1 handicap held on a heavy 8 track.
Dusan went on to prove that he handles a sound surface when scoring by three lengths in a Benchmark 58 handicap just under two weeks later.
The four-year-old showed good form in finishing third in Class 3 handicap races in his first two starts this prep with both of those efforts coming on wet tracks.
While the gelding disappointed on a good 3 track at Beaudesert last time, he looks up to bouncing back with any softening of the going a positive with regard to his chances.
The second race of the day at Sale is an 1100m maiden contest expected to take place on a good 4 surface.
Ben, JD & Will Hayes are represented by the filly Cavalla Veloce here, with the three-year-old having debuted with a third over this course and distance last month.
The daughter of I Am Invincible jumped from an inside alley on that occasion, having previously delivered a win in a 900m barrier trial at Ballarat.
Blake Shinn’s mount has to overcome a wide barrier in this contest and, while she holds obvious claims, preference is for DUTY CALLS.
Trained by Simon Zahra, the filly finished sixth of seven at Caulfield on her sole start as a two-year-old in June last year.
Duty Calls was beaten just under five lengths when racing over 1000m on that occasion and she took a step forward when third over the same distance at Cranbourne last month.
She was beaten just over a length at Cranbourne, with both of those efforts coming on a sound surface.
Daniel Stackhouse is set to ride for the first time here and his mount is taken to break through to register the first win of her career.
The finale at Wagga is a 1200m Class 1 handicap restricted to fillies and mares.
A good 4 track is expected, with the Craig Weeding-trained four-year-old OIMBARI taking the eye.
This filly lost out by a narrow margin when finishing third in a similar contest to this at the start of November and she has recorded two top four finishes from three starts since then.
The most recent of those efforts saw her beaten half-a-length when finishing runner-up in a 1400m Benchmark 58 handicap held on a good 4 track at Corowa last month.
This daughter of Menari was making a quick reappearance that day, having finished down the field at Wangaratta five days earlier.
The drop back to 1200m here is no issue and returning to this venue she is selected to register her second win, having broken her maiden over 1300m at Corowa last July.