Rockstar Lopez was a certainty beaten when third at her most recent Wentworth Park start and after winning three subsequent provincial races is set to notch her second city win on Saturday night.
Rockstar Lopez has box eight in race three, a 520m fifth grade, with trainer Chris Nutt declaring: "She is perfectly boxed.
"Rockstar Lopez has always had ability but has always been a nervy sort of bitch and was a bit short on confidence.
"I took her to Richmond for a finish-on meeting on November 27 and she won in 29.89, best time of the meeting before going back there last Friday and winning again, this time of 29.64, again fastest on the card.
"She needs to lead to win because she is no good coming from behind but from box eight on Saturday she should only have to nail the start to be the pacemaker.''
Rockstar Lopez won in a slick 29.92 from box seven at Wentworth Park on August 31 but on November 9 drew box two, missed the jump and ran out and collided before flashing home to finish third, beaten two lengths by the in-form She's Airborne.
Claddin' Boys has been placed in four of his seven Wentworth Park outings and trainer Troy Vella believes his smart front-runner gets his chance to break through in Saturday night's eighth race, a 520m fifth grade.
Last Saturday Claddin' Boys drew box six and made the pace to the back straight, before being headed by the winner Eureka Remi but hanging on well to finish second, beaten a neck.
"Claddin' Boys wants to be down near the rails so I'm very happy with his box three draw on Saturday,'' trainer Troy Vella said.
"He has good early pace and I was particularly happy with his run last week when he was able to get across to the fence from box six and hit the front.''
Matter Of Fact was runner-up behind Lightnin' Ethics at her Wentworth Park debut on November 23 before finishing third in a Heat of the group 1 Dapto Megastar on December 1 so looks hard to beat from box one in Saturday night's fourth event, a 520m fifth grade.
Trainer Amanda Brunton said: "Matter Of Fact is going really well at the moment and while she clocked 30.01 at her only Wentworth Park start, she had previously trialled 29.98 there when having her first look at the track.
"From box one I think she can go even better than what she recorded in that trial.''
Cleary Banner made the pace when second to Can't Handle Hit in a nippy 30sec at his Wentworth Park debut last Saturday and trainer Barry Gibbons is hoping his dog can show improved stamina in Saturday night's seventh race, a 520m fifth grade.
"Before last Saturday Cleary Banner had a couple of trials at Wentworth Park when he was younger but while he showed good early dash his run home times were ordinary,'' Gibbons said.
"For a big 35kg dog he is a good beginner and has terrific early speed but I'm hoping that with maturity he gets stronger.
"His early splits last week at Wentworth Park were 5.44 and 13.85 and I was very happy with that, so if he can start hitting the line I'm thinking about getting him ready for the National Derby Heats at Wenty on January 13.''
An out-of-character slow start ruined Lightnin' Ethics' chances when she was a $1.75 favourite at WP last Saturday but the Peter Rodgers-trained bitch did well to finish two lengths third behind the John Finn powerhouse Zipping Orlando.
Lightnin' Ethics is ideally positioned in box eight in Saturday's first Heat of the Ladbrokes Christmas Gift, where she takes on brilliant front-runner Reflections, in box one, and Zipping Kyrgios, a winner of 14 from 31 Wentworth Park appearances, in three.
Heat two is equally strong but Lightnin' Ethics' litter brother Simply Limelight, also trained by Peter Rodgers, can record his 12th Wentworth Park success from box four.
The John Finn-trained kennelmates Zipping Alabama (box three) and Zipping Orlando (box six) look the hardest to beat. although Showman Jack, chasing his ninth WP win in 16 outings, is also in the mix after drawing reasonably well in box eight.
