Look ahead to this weekend's harness racing action in our weekly preview, thanks to Darren Clayton.
Queensland horses are out in force for Group 1 racing at Menangle on Saturday night with owners, trainers and drivers all represented across several races.
Both gaits will also be on display with the Group 1 Oaks for both the pacers and the trotters along with Group 1 events for the open class mares with the Queen Elizabeth Mile and Macarthur Mile for pacing mares and trotting mares respectively.
Closer to home, there will be nine races held at this Saturday’s metropolitan meeting at 'The Creek' where The Rising Sun hopeful, The Janitor, will resume from a spell.
GET ON
Race three, number one on Saturday night - Our Indifference.
Runner-up at his past two, he led them up early before taking the trail on eventual winner Charge Ahead two starts back. The Gemma Hewitt-trained and Brendan Barnes-driven pacer secures all the favours from gate one.
WILL THERE BE AN UPSET FOR SUNSET?
Golden Sunset is Queensland’s most improved and in-form horse of either gait.
Golden Sunset heads south to Menangle on Saturday night for a tilt at the Group 1 Macarthur Mile.
The Shawn Grimsey-trained Golden Sunset has been unstoppable in recent months at Albion Park and completed her preparations with a clinical victory last Saturday night.
The eight-hear-old will line up from gate one at Menangle with seven wins from her past eight starts which includes the track record over the 1660 and a mare’s class record over the 2138 metre trip.
Ranked 13 when the first round of Inter Dominion rankings was released on Wednesday, connections will get to test the mare in elite company with her opponents including the unbeaten Keayang Zahara, multiple Group 1-winner Im Ready Jet and the up-and-coming Susan Is Her Name.
Gate one will give Golden Sunset plenty of options in the early stages.
She has enough speed off the gate to find the right position with Nathan Dawson heading south to partner the mare.
Keayang Zahara stepped up impressively at her first four-year-old appearance last week at Melton and victory would take her record to 16 from 16 and keep alive the chance of her lining-up in 'ID25' unbeaten.
Susan Is Her Name is the big query with her ability and potential not in question.
However, she will need to produce some impressive performances over the next two months to lift her Inter Dominion ranking.
The dual Group 1-winner has been brought along slowly by master conditioners Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin and will be give her first chance on the big stage against the open performers.
DIXON TWO-PRONGED OAKS ATTACK
Following last week’s Oaks qualifiers, Grant Dixon will be represented by two fillies in Saturday’s NSW Oaks Final.
Ruby Rules caused an upset in winning her qualifier.
She was sent to the post as a $41 chance where she proved too slick for her opposition in the closing stages to earn a shot at this week’s Group 1 feature.
A good barrier has further enhanced her chances in the $200,000 feature, securing gate one for the 2300 metre contest.
Her more fancied stable mate, Cool And Classy, was also able to progress.
Cool And Classy finished third in her qualifier after a tough trip outside the leader in the fastest of the three heats.
Placed in all three starts since returning for her three-year-old term, Cool And Classy will start from barrier five with an early scratching seeing the filly move in one spot.
Grant Dixon has opted to drive Cool And Classy who is the 2024 Australian two-year-old filly of the year.
Robbie Morris has been handed the reins to Ruby Rules.
The Michael Stanley-trained and Luke McCarthy-driven Soho Americano will be hard to beat after an impressive performance in her heat and from barrier three she heads the early market.
Ivseenheavenslight was beaten into third placing as a $1.25 hope in her heat behind Ruby Rules but holds firm on the second line of the market for the decider from barrier seven.
