Midnight Money has not raced at Wentworth Park for nearly eight months but on his reappearance at headquarters tonight trainer Jack Smith considers he is close to the form that saw him score a runaway win in fast time there in July.
Midnight Money has box one in the 520m Ladbrokes Summer Carnival Stakes, a fourth and fifth grade, after having a win and a placing from four Temora 457m starts in November and December.
"He is not far away from where he was when he ran the 29.65 at Wenty on July 25,'' trainer Jack Smith said.
"After that race Midnight Money had a couple of niggling little injuries but he is 100 per cent again now.''
Smith also has Midnight Money's litter brother Flash Boom Bang in tonight's race, but while that dog's four wins and six placings at headquarters gives him a superior record at Wentworth Park, their trainer said: "I think Midnight Money is my better chance.
"Nangar Lady, who has won seven races at Wenty looks the one to beat but she has to get across from box eight.''
Midnight Money will exit box one for the first time in 23 appearances on tonight, but should relish the rails draw as he has notched two wins and two placings from five races out of box two and clocked his personal best Wentworth Park figures from that inside draw.
Lack of Wentworth Park experience may have contributed to former Victorian Rosa Marie's defeat on December 28 and the winner of five from 13 starts south of the border can lead all the way in tongiht's The Lids Fly On Ladbrokes Live 520m fifth grade.
Now owned and trained in Sydney by Joe Scerri, of Ritza Piper fame, Rosa Marie showed brilliant early pace in her Wentworth Park debut last week.
She began brilliantly from box two but after posting a flying first split of 5.37, veered wide going through the first turn and faded to fourth, six lengths behind the winner, Trio Of Clowns.
Even in defeat Rosa Marie clocked a highly respectable 29.99 and only two of her rivals, Watchmaker and Crazed, have bettered those figures.
Rosa Marie's fast 29.49 win over 515m at Sandown on December 5 suggests she is capable of improving sharply on her opening Wentworth Park time.
Glorified has not been tested beyond 365m at Nowra but trainer Ruth King believes she will have no trouble seeing out the 520m of the Follow RPV On Facebook Stakes fifth grade.
"Glorified has been strong at the finish of her races and she is well positioned near the rails in box two,'' King said.
A winner of three from six races, Glorified posted fastest times of the night at 20.53 and 20.51 when she won over the Pinebowl sprint trip in October and early December.
Most interesting runner on the night is exciting newcomer Young Star, who has box eight in the Ladbrokes Hosted Pots Stakes, a single win fifth grade.
Young Star made a sensational debut at Maitland on December 23, winning by 11 lengths and covering the 450m in 24.78.
The race record for the group 2 Maitland Gold Cup, over the same distance, stands at 24.77, posted by Nangar Jim, which underscores the quality of Young Star's maiden victory.
His trainer Darryl Thomas said: "The plan is for Young Star to contest the heats of the group 1 Ladbrokes National Derby at Wentworth Park on January 11, so this race will decide whether the dog does tackle that series.
"This race was a preferential box draw and I asked for box eight, because I figured Young Star would be better off out there for his first look at Wentworth Park.''
Santino Kade was costly to punters when fourth, as a $2.40 chance, at Wentworth Park on Boxing Day, but the dog did not look comfortable from his inside draw, box two, in the rush to the first turn.
Santino Kade likes to use a bit of the track and gets his chance at redemption when he wears the yellow rug in tongiht's Derby Heats & Futurity Stakes, a 520m fifth grade.
At his only appearance from box five Santino Kade won over 401m at Richmond in February, stopping the clock at a blistering 22.46.
