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Local trainers have the quality to repel a strong contingent of visiting fillies and mares in Friday's $40,000 Queen Of The North at Port Macquarie.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Sydney based John Thompson, Newcastle's Alan Scorse, Tamworth's Barry Lockwood and top Hunter Valley trainers Luke Griffith, and Rodney Northam are among the visiting trainers aiming to win the richest fillies and mares feature on the NSW north coast.
Thompson, who trains for race sponsor Patinack Farm, has sent Count Your Fingers from his Gold Coast satellite stable after a close up finish at her latest start at Doomben.
Scorse will start the improving Rockacheva, winner of her last two provincial starts including a Gosford win last month, while Griffith has the classy topweight Sutton Queen coming off a last start placing at Canterbury.
Lockwood, who was based at Port Macquarie for several years before moving his stable to Tamworth, has the in-form Brookton Tiara aiming to repeat her last start win over a similar field in the $30,000 Jardel Cup at Tamworth.
However top local trainers Jenny Graham, Neil Godbolt and Wayne Wilkes have ensured the visitors will not have an easy time landing the first prize race and bonus of a $27,000 stallion service to the imported sire Lope De Vega provided by Patinack Farm.
Graham has the early TAB Sportsbert favourite Leviosa resuming and is confident the quality filly is primed to win with Robert Thompson renewing his association with the three-year-old.
Thompson was offered several other rides but elected to stick with Leviosa after riding her in her first four starts for three wins and a third at Rosehill in a quality Inglis Bonus field before she was spelled last July.
Thompson rode Leviosa in a barrier trial at Port Macquarie two weeks ago with the filly unextended to finish fourth, convincing Graham to change plans and aim for a first-up win in the Queen Of The North.
“I wanted to take her to Sydney to run her against her own age group but nothing went right,” Graham said.
"The tracks in Sydney were too wet so this race was the next best option.
“She is an easy filly to train and had plenty of work but the barrier (15) is a bit of a worry.
“I will leave the riding plan up to Robert. When he said he wanted to stick with her I told him I just hoped that I had her to the point where she can win.
“I think she is there because she was really good in the trial and has done well since.”
Port Macquarie's top trainer Neil Godbolt will rely on his talented three year old Never Doubt Me, a winner at Newcastle two starts back, and Hoist, fitter for recent racing and ready to regain the form she showed last year when she won three races in succession.
Another Port trainer Wayne Wilkes also has a double chance with smart pair Capital Raising and Golden Jess, a winner of four races all at Port Macquarie.
Luke Griffith said he would prefer to start Sutton Queen at Port Macquarie in preference to Friday night's Canterbury meeting where she is also an acceptor.
“The prizemoney at Port Macquarie is better and I think the track will probably be better as well,” Griffith said.
Sutton Queen has started only 14 times for five wins and seven placings.