The Inter Dominion hopes of all three Hunter horses depend on podium finishes in Friday night’s third and final round of qualifying heats in Western Australia.
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Easy On The Eye, Shannonsablast and Mach Beauty remain within striking distance of the top 10 but all sit mid table on the progressive point score after the opening two events of the 2015 series.
The Shane Tritton-trained Easy On The Eye has fared best of the trio, placed 16th overall on 13 points following a second at Bunbury on Tuesday night.
After a ninth in the same race Darren Elder’s Louth Park stable star Shannonsablast (11) is one spot but two points further back on the standings, which follows a first up third last week.
Tritton’s other charge Mach Beauty improved from seventh to fifth in this week’s heat but is 19th on the charts with 10 points.
It places all the emphasis on performing in the last round at Gloucester Park if they are any chance of making the $1.3million group 1 decider at the same venue on December 13.
“We’ve got to hope for a top three finish and hope a few of the horses in front of us finish down a bit,” Elder said.
“We’ve just got to go for broke and see what happens.”
Shannonsablast has drawn barrier four for Friday but unbeaten Philadelphia Man, in a share of the competition lead with Lennytheshark on 28 points, will feature from out wide in the front row.
This leaves Easy On The Eye in gate 10, located on the inside of the second row, and Tritton knows it will be a tough road ahead.
“Easy On The Eye has been smashed with the draw in barrier 10,” he said.
“It’s a shame he didn’t get to lead again this week, we will need luck from there.”
Mach Beauty will start the 2536 metre journey, longest of the three preliminary rounds, from barrier four in the final heat of the night.
Tritton’s No.1 driver and NSW premiership winner Lauren Panella will be back on board both Mach Beauty and Easy On The Eye, returning from suspension to take over from Amanda Turnbull.
“Mach is a long shot chance from barrier four with Lauren back on,” Tritton said.
“Both horses performed well in the second round – one beaten two metres and the other beaten six metres.”
Closer to home and there will be an eight-race meeting at Newcastle International Paceway on Friday.
Fields for Maitland’s twilight program on Sunday were released on Wednesday afternoon with first race scheduled for 6pm.
INTER DOMINION PROGRESSIVE POINTS SCORE
1. Lennytheshark 28
2. Philadelphia Man 28
3. Devendra 20
4. Flaming Flutter 18
5. Lovers Delight 18
6. Blazin N Cullen 17
7. My Hard Copy 17
8. Waylade 17
9. Avonnova 16
10. Our Blackbird 16
*
16. Easy On The Eye 13
17. Shannonsablast 11
19. Mach Beauty 10
