GRAFTON trainer Phil McLeod is eyeing the $100,000 Goldmarket (1300 metres) on the Gold Coast on Thursday with his in-form sprinter Forestreno.
The seven-year-old gelding will have a spell after the listed event.
"I was toying with trying him over 1600 metres but I don't think he'll get a strong mile," McLeod said. "The Goldmarket looks a nice race for him. If he draws good that will warrant running him.
"The horse has been up for a fair while and he'll go to the paddock after that."
Forestreno was narrowly beaten by Barlinnie last start over 1350m at Doomben last weekend.
"This has probably been his best preparation," McLeod said. "He's probably three lengths off being a real top horse." A triple of trebles
CHRISTMAS came early for jockeys Robert Thompson and Leanne Henry and trainer Brett Cavanough when they scored timely trebles.
At Tamworth nine days ago, Thompson won aboard Novellino for trainer Ross Stitt, Bianca Rose (Lew Hyson) and Phonetics (Peter Bloomfield). He followed that with a double aboard Beneventi (Rodney Northam) and Precise Timing's five-year-old half-brother Exact Timing (Stitt) at Taree last Sunday.
At Bathurst yesterday week, Henry continued her great season when she scored on Wiegenlied (Clarry Conners) and Our Scooby Doo and Global Start for Conners's son Marc.
On the same day, Cavanough won half the program on his home track at Albury with Tambul Love ridden by Andrew Bloomfield, Keanu Cugie (Ronald Bell) and Weekend Cash (Brad Clark).
After a slow start, Cavanough leads the country trainers' premiership with 24 winners for the season from Newcastle's Kris Lees (21) and Barbara Joseph (20) from Canberra. There goes the Sun
PROMISING Dubbo-trained sprinter Murray's Sun has been spelled and will return with metropolitan targets in mind.
English-born trainer Bridget Jones has done a remarkable job with the five-year-old son of Volcanic Prince.
The gelding has won eight of 12 starts and $61,000 in prizemoney - not bad for a $900 Dubbo sales weanling purchase.
Murray's Sun, owned by Jones and her partner, Brian Curry, won four of five starts this campaign, the latest at Mudgee on December 5.
"He's had enough this time and will come back into work later next month," Jones said.
"We'll then look at going to Sydney with him.
"It's been an absolutely fantastic ride so far and hopefully there are better wins ahead of him. He's a joy to have in the yard and he'll have a home with us for life." Watch this space
COROWA trainer Mandie Jones has always had a good eye for a racehorse.
Before branching out as a trainer in her own right just over two years ago, she worked as foreman for Richard Freyer for 20 years and bred Prince Celsius (winner of 26 races), bought Adam's Mate (winner of 31 races) as a yearling, brought On Kiley's Run as a tried horse from Sydney (which won 17 races including the 1994 Corowa Cup) and purchased the mare Chilla Queen (winner of 15 races) from Tasmania.
A couple of years ago Jones spent $24,000 to secure a Hussonet filly named Husseda, which was scheduled to make its race debut at Corowa yesterday.
"I got her before Weekend Hussler [by Hussonet] became famous," Jones said. "She shows a lot of promise." Nineteen on the trot
INTERESTING to note, Peppers Pride, a North American sprinter with Australian bloodlines through super sire Redoute's Choice, set a national record of 19 consecutive wins when the mare won a stakes event in New Mexico on December 14.
The previous record (16) had been held jointly by outstanding gallopers Citation and Cigar but they pale into insignificance compared with amazing record of Camareo, which won his first 56 starts in the 1950s in Puerto Rico. Albury Cup all settled
FEARS that future dates for the popular Albury Cup carnival were in jeopardy have been allayed.
Due to Racing NSW's decision to stage the Golden Slipper on the first Saturday in April followed by the Australian Jockey Club's autumn carnival for the next three years, a clash of Easter dates with Albury loomed.
However, Albury chief executive John Miller said the Albury Cup would continue to be staged on the Friday (March 27 next year) before the Rosehill Guineas meeting. "It will be on the same date for the next four years," he said. "It's not until 2013 that a problem arises. The committee has decided to defer any decision until closer to that date." They're racing
TAB meetings: Today - Canberra, Scone; Tuesday - Coffs Harbour; Wednesday - Nowra; Thursday - Inverell; Friday - Albury, Taree; Saturday - Orange.
Non-TAB: Monday - Trangie. Thursday - Ballina, Deniliquin, Gilgandra, Gundagai, Port Macquarie, Sapphire Coast, Wallabadah. Saturday - Bowraville. Stable secrets
HAWK ATTACK: Ready To Swoop.
KREMLIN: Red Hot.
Big Birdie: High Flyer..
tony_white3@bigpond.com