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Australian Racing: Hour to Rush Port Macquarie rivals

There are six meetings set to take place on Sunday, including at Port Macquarie, where a seven-race card is scheduled.

They also race at Bunbury, Nhill, Sapphire Coast, Seymour and Sunshine Coast.

Race 6 Port Macquarie

Rush Hour @ 4.00

Race 8 Seymour

Chakado @ 5.00

Race 5 Sunshine Coast

On Hold @ 6.00

Rush Hour to strike at Port Macquarie

The penultimate race on Port Macquarie’s card is a 1200m Benchmark 64 handicap expected to take place on a good 4 surface and Shihab is likely to prove popular with punters as he bids to register his third win of the year.

The gelding’s two previous wins this year both came on wet tracks at Taree, including over 1250m in a Class 3 handicap held on a soft 7 surface in July.

The five-year-old finished held in the Coffs Harbour Gold Cup over 1600m at Coffs Harbour the following month and was spelled following that effort.

Glen Miligan’s representative came close to resuming with a win when losing out by a narrow margin in a 1000m Benchmark 66 handicap at Kempsey earlier this month.

Teighan Worsnop, on board that day, is again set to ride, however they look opposable jumping from barrier 17.

Dropping in grade, RUSH HOUR is preferred for the Nathan Doyle team, having demonstrated good form in stronger company last season.

A two-length winner of a 1200m Class 1 handicap held on a soft 6 surface at Wyong in February, the selection recorded his best run in four subsequent efforts last season when second at Rosehill.

The 4.00 gelding was beaten by a narrow margin when contesting a 1200m Benchmark 72 handicap held on a heavy 9 track in June on that occasion.

The four-year-old raced prominently prior to fading in the set weights Magic Millions Wyong Stakes over 1200m at Wyong this prep, but dropping in grade he is taken to return to winning ways.

Chakado primed for Seymour success

A good 4 track is expected at Seymour, with the concluding race on the card a 1600m Restricted 64 handicap.

Ben, JD & Will Hayes look to hold strong claims in this field, with their runners including the three-year-old Vacillation, the mount of Blake Shinn.

Shinn was on board when the gelding came home four lengths clear of his rivals in a 1000m barrier trial here in October and he rates as an eye-catching jockey booking.

Vacillation has shown good form in two starts in the interim, following up a fourth at Traralgon with a narrow victory in a 1543m maiden held on a good 3 track at Geelong earlier this month.

However, CHAKADO is the pick in this event following a string of solid efforts without winning this season.

Those efforts include two third-place finishes, the most recent of which saw him beaten just under two lengths in a 1600m Restricted 64 handicap at Bendigo earlier this month.

The 5.00 pick had previously been beaten two lengths when fourth over 1500m in a Class 1 handicap event on the Heath track at Caulfield.

Phillip Stokes' representative tackled this distance for the first time in the previously mentioned Bendigo race and has demonstrated tactical versatility in the past.

Hold to score at Sunshine Coast

The fifth race at Sunshine Coast is a 1000m Benchmark 70 handicap contest and a good 4 track is expected, with ON HOLD taken to register her seventh career success.

The five-year-old won three times in May, including on both a wet track and fast going, with the most recent of those wins coming over 1070m on a firm 2 at Chinchilla.

A third place on a wet track at Ipswich followed, with the mare spelled following a last of nine in a Benchmark 75 track and trip handicap here.

The 6.00 selection showed up well in a Toowoomba barrier trial prior to returning to action with a third over 1000m in a Benchmark 70 handicap at Toowoomba at the end of last month.

Trained by Corey & Kylie Geran, the mare broke through for her first win this prep when saluting by two-and-a-half-lengths in a 1000m set weights open plate event at Nanango.

While the mare was successful on a soft 6 track at Nanango, the good 4 going should be no issue here and she is taken to follow up.

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