Tess Simmons is enjoying her best year as a trainer with 85 winners since January, and she has a great chance of enhancing her fine strike rate with Blocked at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Blocked has box six in the opening event, the NSW GBOTA Welcome fifth grade over 520m, and while he has been unplaced in three Wentworth Park appearances, Simmons gives her dog a good show.
"He finished fourth from box one and seventh from box three at Wentworth Park last month but Blocked doesn't like being drawn on the inside,'' Simmons said.
"He wants to be in the middle of the track because he seems to push through better when there are dogs around him.
"Blocked has won over 515m at Gosford in 29.47 and has gone quick over 400m at Richmond so with only six runners in his race on Saturday he is suited.''
Although his Wentworth Park form is moderate, Blocked has plenty of ability with his record on provincial tracks being five wins and six placings from 18 starts.
And he has won two out of three outings from box five, which underscored Simmons' opinion that the dog races best from the middle of the track.
Hunter Valley racegoers have been impressed by the form of Honk Honk, who makes her Wentworth Park debut in Saturday's Sponsor a Race @ Wenty 520m fifth grade.
Honk Honk has box three and will be having only her fifth start, after two wins at Maitland and two placings at The Gardens.
Her trainer Tony Mason said: "I'm really happy with this bitch and she is boxed okay because she wants an inside draw.
"Although she hasn't raced at Wentworth Park I've given Honk Honk a couple of trials there, a post-to-post slip and then a box-to-box hit-out so she is ready to go.''
When Honk Honk was runner-up over 515m at The Gardens on October 17 she was having her first run beyond 450m but was a certainty beaten after finding plenty of trouble from her unsuitable box seven draw.
North coast trainer Sharon Grey could not believe her eyes when Saturday's draw came out, with each of her entries, Big Rush and Gold Rush Lad, coming up with box one.
Big Rush will wear the red rug in the 520m Ladbrokes Sports Bar fifth grade while his litter brother Gold Rush Lad will carry the same livery in the 520m Ladbrokes Bet Ticker fifth grade.
"They both want box one so I was naturally over the moon when the draw came out,'' Grey said.
"Gold Rush Lad has won four races at Wenty and has always been the quicker of the pair but Big Rush has really come good recently, he has improved out of sight.
"Gold Rush Lad is in a harder race so I probably rate Big Rush as my better chance.''
Big Rush rattled home to win over 515m at The Gardens on November 21 in 29.70, best time of the meeting, before finishing third in the far harder heat of the Group 2 Maitland Gold Cup on November 28.
Hardest for Big Rush to beat could be Archer O'Brien, who will be lining up for his 103rd race.
"Archer O'Brien is going okay and is well drawn out wide in box seven,'' trainer Michael Galea said.
"Forget his fifth over 400m at Bulli on Tuesday night as that distance is too short for him.
"I had nominated Archer O'Brien for a 472m race but he finished up in a sprint.''
Archer O'Brien
Archer O'Brien is one of only two entries in Saturday night's race to have won twice at Wentworth Park.
The other is Spring Eureka, who finished third at Wentworth Park last Saturday and who is considered by Galea to be his dog's toughest rival on Saturday.
Saturday's 720m event looks to be match between Siska Lucy (box one) and the in-form Mister O'Brien (two).
Each is well positioned near the rails but Siska Lucy's inside box advantage and slightly superior Wentworth Park 720m statisticis appear to give her the edge.
