The gelding is the only local horse in the feature final, part of the statewide Carnival of Cups series, trained at Bendemeer by Robert Clement and driven by Dean Chapple.

On Tuesday, Bathurst trainer Bernie Hewitt and young Young trainer Michael Day junior took their Golden Guitar hopefuls – A Passion For Aces, Leading Judge and Artstandin – up to Clement’s Bendemeer property for a “bit of a freshen-up”, Hewitt said.

“They’ve got a nice spot up there in the bush,” Hewitt said.

“It was good for the horses to go up and have a freshen-up amongst the trees and bush.

“They’ve got a lovely big track up there too with a big uphill.

“I can see why their horses are so fit.”

Clement joked with them about “do you really want to leave them up here with me”.

“At least we got a good look at our main opposition.”

Churchill Bromac will go into tonight’s Golden Guitar Final as one of the favourites.

The five-year-old gelding son of Badlands Hanover has won 10 of his 42 starts and will earn Clement his “third” Golden Guitar and Dean Chapple his first if he salutes.

“I won with Milestone (1999),” Clement said of his first Golden Guitar success.

“The day after I was disqualified for three years, Let’s Ride The Tide, one of mine, won a second, but officially it is only one.”

Milestone has a special place in his memory.

“He got me started – that seems like a long time ago,” he said.

“This bloke is pretty good too. He pulled up well after the win (heat 6) the other day.

“We were lucky we were in the right spot at the right time to buy him.

“He’s had 42 starts for 10 wins, five seconds and 10 thirds – been really consistent.

“He hasn’t been out of a place in 16 starts for me yet.”

Winning tonight would also cap a big week after Dana Jane Nock, the daughter of Robert’s wife Jane, won the three nights of barrel racing at the ABCRA’s Junior National Finals at AELEC.

“She won the 11-14 barrel racing average for the week,” Clement said.

“She couldn’t travel around as much as everyone else and did just enough to qualify.

“Watching her win made it a very exciting week for us.”

Dana Jane won the barrel racing on a big grey gelding, Scotch.

And Clement is hoping to cap the big week by winning a second Golden Guitar at Tamworth Paceway tonight around 8.42pm.