National Derby and Nowra Puppy Classic finalist Rockstar Apollo is set to make a successful return to Wentworth Park after drawing box two in Saturday night's Redden Photo Video Stakes, a 520m fourth and fifth grade.
Rockstar Apollo has won three of his six starts from box two and trainer Shaun Evans considers the dog well placed on Saturday.
"I was pleasantly surprised to see him drawn in a fourth and fifth grade,'' Evans said.
"At his only start this preparation Rockstar Apollo was well back all the way in a heat of the 440m Goulburn Southern Stars but in hindsight, I may have erred in putting him in that race.
"I had to rush his preparation to get him ready for the event and he was never in the hunt.
"Since the Goulburn race on July 21 Rockstar Apollo has had a couple of post-to-post trials at Dapto and he has gone extra well.
"From his good draw on Saturday he should only have to step away cleanly and stay out of trouble to be hard to beat.''
Rockstar Apollo
Rockstar Apollo boasts a scintillating personal best Wentworth Park 520m time of 29.58 and on March 18 he toppled Palawa King, who has since become one of Australia's best stayers, in a flying 29.63 over the same course.
Acey Deucey, an impressive winner when a short priced favourite at Dapto and Gosford at his two most recent starts, should only need to overcome his tricky box four draw to win Saturday's wentworthpark.com.au Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Acey Deucey won in a slick 30.03 over 520m at Dapto on August 3 and came from box six to run down the early leader in a fastest time of the night 29.63 at Gosford on Tuesday.
He finished a distant fifth at his sole Wentworth Park outing from box seven on July 26 but trainer Peter Mantach believes that run can be discarded.
"He got shoved off the track at the first turn and was in plenty of trouble,'' Mantach said.
"And that was his first experience at Wenty apart from a trial when he was only a puppy and just starting out.
"He clocked 30.40 in that early hit-out and is a lot better dog now.''
Acey Deucey is a son of Benkennie Chic, who was an outstanding performer for Mantach, winning 21 of 99 races and earning over $119,000.
Tanya Nieuwendyk and her partner Glenn Starr have notched recent Wentworth Park wins with siblings Froch and Rocha and can continue on their winning way with Loma, another member of their Fernando Bale-Disco Bolero litter from May, 2021.
Loma has box two in Saturday's Ladbroke It! Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Loma was hampered early when fifth in maiden class at his only Wentworth Park outing on May 3 but has won at each of his past three starts over 327m and 527m at Gunnedah and over 520m at Richmond.
Glenn Starr rates Loma the most talented in the litter and is satisfied with the dog's box two draw on Saturday.
"In a perfect world, we would probably like him to be drawn in the middle but Saturday's draw looks okay.
"Until he raced at Wentworth Park on May 3 the only time Loma had seen the track was in a box-to-box trial and there is no doubt he is a lot better now.''
Tulsa King easily defeated King Of Tulsa when they met at Wentworth Park on August 2 but the positions could be reversed in Saturday's Ladbrokes Mega Multi Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
Tulsa King has box eight and will need to negotiate the wide running Sweet Redemption, who has box six, while King Of Tulsa has a near perfect box two draw.
