Look ahead to this weekend's harness racing action in our weekly preview, thanks to Darren Clayton.
Some of the biggest names in Queensland harness racing will shift their focus to Menangle this Saturday night where The Eureka headlines a bumper card.
The Grant Dixon stable will spearhead The Eureka assault, while Chantal Turpin and Shannon Price will provide the Sunshine State with a strong chance of securing the Len Smith Mile.
Stephen Cini will also be represented by Luvareschs in The Stockade.
GET ON
Aurora Joy.
Race six, number one at Albion Park on Saturday night.
This mare has faced some tough barriers in recent starts and should really appreciate the improved marble that she secures for this contest.
Effective on the passing lane and when saved for one shot, conditions look ideal.
DIXON HOPING TO SHOUT EUREKA
Grant Dixon and Emma Stewart are the only trainers to have been represented in all three editions of The Eureka and in 2025, both will have their biggest assault on the world’s richest harness event.
Three runners will fly the flag for the Dixon stable, with Fate Awaits (Western Jewel slot), Call To Order (Racing Queensland slot) and Path To Greatness (Kevin and Kay Seymour slot) to line up chasing the $1 million first prize cheque.
Path To Greatness has had an interrupted preparation for the event.
Path To Greatness was forced to bypass a key lead-in run with the stable not prepared to risk the three-year-old due to a minor issue.
The Queensland Sun-winner will be first-up into the race since finishing in ninth position in the Queensland Derby on July 19.
Robbie Morris has been booked to partner Path To Greatness from barrier four.
Morris has driven the gelding on two previous occasions.
They secured a Newcastle win and a second placing in the New South Wales Derby from those two attempts.
Call To Order takes his place in the Racing Queensland slot following his win in The Hayden.
The four-year-old was a strong winner in his final run in preparation for Saturday night, working forward to sit parked and score a strong victory over the 2138 metre journey at Albion Park.
Adam Sanderson will again take the reins behind the gelding.
Sanderson partnered with him in The Hayden with that race being his only success with Call To Order from five attempts.
Grant Dixon has opted to drive Fate Awaits.
A winner at nine of 19 career starts, Fate Awaits was beaten as a short-priced favourite at Albion Park in his final lead up run.
However, the run was full of merit.
He ran his own last 800 metres in 54.61 seconds when parked outside the winner Final Deadline.
Becoming the first three-year-old to win The Rising Sun, Fate Awaits will also become the first three-year-old to win The Eureka should he be successful.
THE CAPTAIN AND THE JANITOR TO FLY THE QUEENSLAND FLAG
Sure Thing Captain will be one of three runners backing up from last year's edition of The Eureka into The Group 1 Len Smith Mile.
The Queenslander is looking to add a third Menangle feature race victory to his record.
Sure Thing Captain was a winner in both heat rounds of the Inter Dominion.
Adam Sanderson will take the reins behind the five-year-old.
Sanderson has partnered the gelding in all of his 14 career victories with the pair to start from barrier five.
The second of the Queensland runners to attack the Len Smith Mile is the Chantal Turpin-trained The Janitor.
The four-year-old is coming into the race fresh off a breathtaking victory at 'The Creek'.
Overcoming gate seven and a tough run outside the leader, The Janitor disposed of Inter Dominion runner-up, Speak The Truth, with the victory highlighted by a strong 54.2 second closing half.
A winner in two of three previous Menangle appearances, The Janitor has had a tremendous season, with six wins from nine starts, including two second-place finishes.
The two races where he was runner-up, The Janitor was beaten a neck behind Fate Awaits in The Rising Sun and a half-neck behind Our Luciano in the Kevin Thomas 4YO.
In those two races he started from gates six and 12, respectively.
REDEMPTION FOR ATTACHMENT
The Chantal Turpin stable will look to start the night with a redemption of sorts with talented four-year-old Attachment.
First past the post in The Hayden, the gelding lost the race and a position in The Eureka on protest, with Call To Order gaining the spoils.
Tackling the ‘consolation’ of The Eureka, Attachment will start from outside the front line in gate 10 and is chasing a third successive victory.
A last start winner of the four-year-old QBRED Triad Final, Attachment will be joined by fellow Queenslanders Charge Ahead for Grant Dixon and Luvareschs for Steven Cini.
