MICKEY DOO took a tumble seconds after his luckless third in last month's Group 2 Bulli Gold Cup but took no harm from the mishap and will be at his peak for tomorrow night's 450m Maitland Gold Cup heats, another group 2 series.
Mickey Doo, who has had two wins and a placing in three races from box six, will wear the green rug again in heat two and trainer Mark Davidson is happy with his dog's recent trial form.
"Ritza Franky Boy is perfectly drawn because he is a good beginner and terrific railer,'' Davidson said.
"The 450m trip is as far as he wants to go and he will get tired at the finish, but he is very quick early.''
Ritza Franky Boy's toughest rival could be Ties That Bind, who won each of her first two starts at Maitland and has since won seven from 10 races over 520m at Wentworth Park.
Their other classy opponents include former Victorian Eat My Dust, now with leading Sydney trainer Jason Magri, and Mitchell Street, a winner of 24 from 64 starts, representing Jedda Cutlack's Queensland kennels.
Top Queensland trainer Tom Tzouvelis, who often handles Mitchell Street on Cutlack's behalf, said: "Mitchell Street won over 400m at Maitland late last month in a quick 22.17 and the 450m won't worry him.
"Since his Maitland win he has had a post-to-post hand-slip at Wentworth Park where he recorded a handy 24.36 and on Wednesday he had a 350m hit-out at Grafton, clocking 19.95, not far off his best time of 19.89.''
Eat My Dust has had nine wins and eight placings from 29 Victorian races and his new trainer Jason Magri said: "He has been trialling well without doing anything sensational.''
The Hurst family has a strong team at Maitland with Frank Hurst's wife Tracey's crack sprinter Good Odds Cash resuming after a spell from box five in heat three.
Good Odds Cash has won 17 of 32 races and is going as well as ever according to Frank Hurst.
"We trialled her at Maitland this week and she went good,'' Hurst said.
Good Odds Cash's toughest rival looks to be the inexperienced but highly talented Clock Off, who will exit box four for trainer Robert Howard.
None of the Cup candidates has a more impressive Maitland record than Clock Off, who in the past month has strung together three scorching 450m wins in 24.93, 24.92 and 24.91.
"Because he is young and has only had nine races I was undecided about whether it was asking too much to throw Clock Off into a series like this,'' trainer Robert Howard said.
"But he is a quick dog and while he is not brilliant for the first couple of strides he hits top gear quickly and then looks for the rails.''
The fourth and arguably weakest heat features Grafton 350m record holder Orara Dan, veteran Fire Legend, and up-and-coming duo Good Odds Buzz from Frank Hurst's kennels and the Jason Mackay-trained Our Mechanic.
