The tiny settlements of Dobies Bight and Stratheden have a combined population of less than 500 but each will be represented in two of Queensland's major races tomorrow night.
Kooringa Lucy, trained at Dobies Bight by Mitch Northfield, has box one in the Bogie Leigh Futurity at Albion Park while the Robert Andrews-trained Short Pork, who hails from nearby Stratheden, has drawn seven in the Thirty Talks At Stud Queensland Derby final.
Presence of Kooringa Lucy and Short Pork in each $40,000 to the winner Group 2 final gives the NSW Northern Rivers area around Casino a real chance at landing the major interstate prizes.
"When Kooringa Lucy finished second in her 520m Futurity heat she was having only her second run over that distance,'' Mitch Northfield said.
"She had box five and while she was beaten a long way she is a lot better suited in the final from box one.
"Nothing much went her way in the heat but admittedly Kooringa Lucy did need to draw box one to be a real hope in the final.''
Mitch Northfield bred Kooringa Lucy from his outstanding race bitch MitCharlie Mia, who won the 2016 Richmond Oaks.
"MitCharlie Mia was a terrific bitch because she was also a finalist in a group one Golden Easter Egg, finals of the Gosford, Casino and Lismore Cups, a group one National Futurity and in a second Richmond Oaks,'' Northfield said.
"Kooringa Lucy is from her first litter of pups, while MitCharlie Mia has a second litter, by Magic Sprite, which are seven months old.''
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SHORT Pork, the Richmond Valley region's second big race finalist tomorrow night, was bred by Mitch Northfield's brother Charlie.
Short Pork (pictured here after finishing third to Fernando Blaster in the Casino Cup) bungled the start from box six and collided going through the catching pen before finishing strongly to snare third placing in his Queensland Derby heat last week.
"I'm not too worried by his wide draw in the final because Short Pork has gone okay from outside boxes in the past,'' his trainer Robert Andrews said.
"When he contested last week's Derby heat he was having his first start from the 520m boxes at Albion Park so he should be improved by that experience.
"He had seen the track but he had only had a post-to-post hand-slip in the lead-up to the Derby heat.''
The consistent Short Pork has registered 12 wins and 11 placings from 25 starts while Kooringa Lucy is a veteran of a mere seven races, for two wins, three seconds and a third.
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CAROLE and Jeff Eaton's conviction that their former smart sprinter La Grand Logie would make a successful stud dog could be borne out at Wentworth Park on Saturday night where litter brothers Guy Incognito and Grand Carter have strong winning chances.
Sons of La Grand Logie and Millie Jade, Grand Carter has box one in race nine while Guy Incognito will exit box four in race 10.
La Grand Logie has not yet had a city winner but the bargain basement sire, whose stud fee is a mere $600, has produced winners from seven of his nine offspring to have raced.
La Grand Logie, a son of El Grand Senor, reached top grade at Wentworth Park and was an iron dog, scoring 27 wins and 30 placings from 102 starts for the Eatons.
