Amazing veteran El Magnifico and powerful finisher Little Digger ran the quinella in the top grade race at Wentworth Park on May 2 and look poised to dominate the feature event again on Saturday night.
El Magnifico, who turned four in March, came from second early to hit the front on the home turn before holding off the fast finishing favourite Little Digger in their most recent duel.
In that race El Magnifico had box four while Little Digger exited box three, but this week the draw is in the old stager's favour.
Little Digger is not badly placed in three but El Magnifico, who has won nine of his 32 Wentworth Park starts, has drawn the rails.
"He is perfectly boxed,'' trainer Julie Fletcher said.
"El Magnifico tore a pin muscle before resuming to finish second at Wentworth Park in February when he 'nicked' the tendon in a toe.
"On veterinary advice we had the first joint of the toe amputated and El Magnifico defied the odds by being back trialling again within six weeks.
"Then, at his first start for nearly two months, he won first up at Wenty from Little Digger, who will obviously be hard to toss again.''
No trainer is enjoying a better "trot'' than Rob Tyler and he rates Zipping Clare, who has box seven in race nine, a 520m fifth grade, as the pick of his three starters at Wentworth Park on Saturday.
"Zipping Clare has won each of her two starts since I began training her, both at Maitland,'' Tyler said.
"She handled a wide draw well in one of those Maitland wins and she ran home really strongly at the finish of each of those 450 metre races.
"Zipping Clare is going extra well and I expect her to run a big race on Saturday.''
A slick trial over 450m at Bathurst on Monday points to the Syd Swain-trained Secretly Hot taking out Saturday night's fourth event, a 520m fifth grade.
"Secretly Hot tends to be injury prone and I had to scratch her due to injury from her most recent Wentworth Park engagement,'' Swain said.
"But I got her right again and because she trialled well at Bathurst I nominated her for Saturday's Wenty meeting and she has come up with box one.
"Secretly Hot is a reasonably reliable beginner and she has early pace as well as being extremely strong at the finish.
"So with Secretly Hot drawn on the rails, her rivals will have the job of getting across her in the run to the first turn.''
Alpine Little ran a cheeky race to beat all but the placegetters in last week's Group 3 Evans & Son Jewellers Ladies Bracelet so should relish a huge drop in class in Saturday's ninth race, a 520m fifth grade.
Usually a fast starter, Alpine Little missed the jump from box eight but showed great early dash to be third at the first turn in the Bracelet, trailing Miss Splendamiro and Up Hill Jill.
She retained third spot behind that pair at the top of the straight before being cut out of the minor prizemoney by the fast finishing Ella Enchanted.
Alpine Little is a wide runner who is likely to make full use of box eight in Saturday's much easier race.
The $9800 to the winner Ladbrokes Monthly Medal final has attracted a strong, evenly matched lineup, but the draw favours exciting youngster Black Forge.
Each of last week's four heat winners broke the 30 second barrier but fastest qualifier Ritza Lenny has gone from having box eight in his heat to box four on Saturday.
Ritza Lenny covered the 520m last week in 29.79 but Black Forge, who won in 29.87 when making his Wentworth Park debut, had box eight in his heat and will wear the pink rug again in
the final.
Jeff Collerson’s Selection’s
Best Bet: Alpine Little (Race 10)
Best Value: Black Forge (Race 8)
Quaddie
Race 5 - 1, 3
Race 6 - 6, 4, 5
Race 7 - 7, 6, 3
Race 8 - 8, 4, 1
$20 for 37.03%
