Look ahead to this weekend's harness racing action in our weekly preview, thanks to Darren Clayton.
The brightest star for the Queensland Constellations returns to the track this Saturday night at Albion Park with Leap To Fame starting his campaign towards the Inter Dominion.
Despite Leap To Fame's profile, the Hall of Fame pacer is only on the undercard for this weekend’s racing with the highlight events being the QBRED Breeders Classic Finals for two and three-year-olds.
Trotting Inter Dominion hopefuls will also step out, including the two highest ranked Queenslander’s, Gus and Golden Sunset.
GET ON
Albion Park on Saturday night. Race nine – Iron Clad.
It has been a mixed season for this four-year-old who is winless in six attempts.
Iron Clad has bumped into some handy performers in recent starts where he has managed to place on three occasions.
That can change this week from the ace draw.
BARSBY TO BE ON CALL
The three big guns in the two-year-old colts and gelding Breeders Classic Final have drawn one (Barsby), two (Fire And Passion) and 11 (Fight For Victory).
Barsby has been slammed with gates six and seven at his past two starts.
However, he is the big winner for the $50,000 feature, landing barrier one for trainer Chantal Turpin and driver Pete McMullen.
Drawn directly beside in barrier two is the unbeaten Fire And Passion.
The Grant Dixon-trained colt claimed a decisive victory over Barsby in the heats.
He made full use of the gate advantage on that occasion.
Perhaps the most impressive performer from the three heats was Fight For Victory.
Fight For Victory made an error soon after the start and looked set to miss the decider but he chased valiantly to grab second.
It will require another special performance to overcome gate 11 at the sprint trip for Fight For Victory.
Early markets have Fire And Passion favourite over Barsby, but with 'Leader Pete' drawn gate one, will it take a first over crush for Fire And Passion to get the verdict?
ITS CLEAR TO SEE
Despite an awkward second line gate, the Chantal Turpin-trained Wontyoustaywithme looks the one to beat in the two-year-old fillies' event from barrier 10.
There were two heats of the fillies division held.
The two winners were Wontyoustaywithme for trainer Turpin and Yoursospecial for Shannon Price.
The Price-trained filly has drawn awkwardly for this Saturday in barrier eight, where the map suggests she will be buried along the inside behind a slow beginner.
Completing a hat-trick of victories with her heat win, Yoursospecial's chances of challenging the Turpin filly now look forlorn and will be reliant on racing luck to find space at the right time.
Wontyoustaywithme also draws a second line gate, but from barrier 10, she will be able to get to the outside and potentially around the field in the early stages.
The daughter of Stay Hungry has been runner-up at her only other two starts, behind Barsby and Fire And Passion, with six of her 10 opponents yet to land a race day win.
DOES MAP BEAT CLASS?
The map favours the Chantal Turpin-trained Arrive who was the fastest of the three heat winners last Friday in the three-year-old fillies division.
Arrive's time of 1.53.5 established a new personal best and was three seconds quicker than the current favourite.
That is the Grant Dixon-trained Cool And Classy.
Cool And Classy overcame a second line gate in her heat but was never stretched in a 1.56.5 performance.
Arrive will start from barrier one and has shown that she is a speedy filly and likes to roll along in front, with the inside gate giving her every opportunity.
A five-time winner, Arrive will be looking to turn the tables from the 2024 Triad Final where she sat behind Cool And Classy but had to settle for second.
She was unable to run down the Dixon filly in the stretch.
Since that last meeting, Cool And Classy has been crowned the Australian two-year-old filly of the year and won a New South Wales Oaks.
Ruby Rules was fourth in that Oaks but made a costly error in her heat and will need to overcome gate seven if she is to deliver the upset.
London Baby is best placed if the big two are to face defeat.
The Amanda Turnbull-trained and reined filly has drawn inside the second line and will follow out behind Arrive.
UPSIZE THE FRIES
Trent Dawson claimed one of the three heats for the three-year-old colts and geldings.
He led throughout with French Fries.
While it was the slowest of the three heats, Dawson dictated the pace to perfection and produced a sizzling 26.1 second closing quarter.
Landing the early advantage from gate one, French Fries can chase feature race victory to join his siblings Free Thinker and Future Assured as feature winners at 'The Creek'.
Our Sweet Delight will need to replicate his heat victory from gate seven if he is to claim victory.
However, his heat was the fastest of the three held last Friday.
The other heat winner was Hell Im Smooth who draws gate four.
The Peter Greig-trained and Matt Elkins-driven gelding is in good form this campaign with three wins from his past four starts.
