There’s four meetings for punters this Thursday with provincial action from Hawkesbury, Kalgoorlie and Gatton plus a country fixture at Geelong.
Diesel for Hawkesbury success
Top weight Dimaggio showed good form when winning over 1200m in a Benchmark 64 contest at Kembla Grange on his penultimate start and he is expected to have his supporters ahead of the sixth race on the Hawkesbury card, a 1500m Benchmark 68 event.
Kim Waugh’s charge followed that effort up with a solid second place finish having raced close to the speed in the 1300m Pioneer Services Handicap over 1300m at this venue a week ago.
Tackles heavy going for the first time here and is expected to find Diamond Diesel too good conceding weight to the son of Mossman.
Diamond Diesel has shown good form this spell breaking his maiden in an 1100m event on a heavy 10 track at Gosforth when racing first up.
Completed a double in a Benchmark 64 event upped to 1200m at Newcastle subsequently and while he proved a disappointment when down the field at Rosehill on his third start back he put that effort behind him when a good third in a Benchmark 72 affair over 1600m on a soft 7 track at Randwick just under two weeks ago.
Well drawn in two here and dropping to provincial level Joshua Parr’s mount is selected to register a third win having shown a liking for heavy tracks in the past.
Staralign to score for Warwick
The seventh race at Kalgoorlie, the 1400m Tabtouch Hannans Handicap over 1400m and set to be held on a good 4 track looks to be a competitive affair.
Startrade is expected to jump as favourite having shown good form at Belmont Park and Geraldton this spell including when winning by a narrow margin in a Benchmark 84+ event over 1000m at the first named venue on his penultimate outing.
Versatile with regards distance the 1400m here should prove no issue for Chris Parnham’s mount though it’s notable that he disappointed when seventh over 1200m at Belmont Park when last in action just under two weeks ago.
Staralign is preferred in this contest with the Peter Fernie-trained gelding having shown good form when third in the 1300m Idyllic Prince Stakes at Belmont Park on his penultimate outing.
Not beaten far despite finishing only fifth over this trip in the Furphy-Farnley Stakes on a soft 5 track at the same venue subsequently and with the quicker ground no issue Lucy Warwick’s mount is taken improve on his excellent course and distance record having won four of his five previous starts over the 1400m here.
Dream for Gatton glory
Countess Tessa is a winner already this spell having triumphed on a heavy 10 track in a Class 1 contest over 1110m at Lismore at the end of July.
Best effort in two starts since came when delivering a third place finish having jumped at big odds in a 1200m Benchmark 62 event on a good 4 track at Sunshine Coast earlier this month.
Claimer Emily Lang is in the saddle for the first time since the pair triumphed in that Lismore event but main market rival here Dream Entity is selected ahead of Countess Tessa, a daughter of Toronado.
Dream Entity delivered a two length victory when contesting a Benchmark 62 event on a heavy 10 track over 1100m at Gold Coast at the start of the month.
Impressed when scoring that day the selection was building on a number of promising efforts including a fourth in a Class 2 on a soft 7 track over 1200m at Warwick on her penultimate outing.
Jockey Jasmine Cornish boasts an impressive 26% strike-rate (9/34) at this track in the last year and she is taken to improve on that with any softening of the ground prior to race time a positive with regards Dream Entity’s chances.
