Tomorrow Perfect Timing revives memories of Ross Stitt’s magnificent bush champion when the Joanna Hardy-trained gelding tackles the $30,000 Fencing North West 2014 Inverell Cup (1400m).

The seven-year-old gelding drew perfectly in barrier one yesterday and will have Ben Looker aboard for his first time out at Inverell.

“Grafton trainer Joanne Hardy has set Perfect Timing for Inverell after a recent win at Lismore,” Inverell Jockey Club committeeman Mike Witherdin said.

“Although the horses are not related, Perfect Timing will remind many of Ross Stitt’s bush champion, Precise Timing, who arguably became the best horse to win an Inverell Cup when he recorded his last ever win in the 2008 Cup.

“Precise Timing won more than $884,000 from 18  wins including Group 3 and Listed wins in cups from Launceston to Toowoomba.”

Perfect Timing is not in that class but has won 10 of his 45 starts for his Northern Rivers trainer.

Tomorrow’s cup could also be heading  out of the Sapphire City, Witherdin said.

“Visiting trainers returning to happy hunting grounds look to have the upper hand in the feature races,” Witherdin said.

“Taree trainer Jim Delaney also hopes his sprinter Floral Insight can break a Shorts Handicap weight carrying record by lumping 65kg to follow up his win in the Shorts last year when he carried 59kg. 

Since last year’s win Floral insight has won five races including a city win at Warwick Farm and is one of the top rated sprinters trained outside the metropolitan areas. 

“Floral Insight’s main danger, apart from history, appears to be Queenslander Lone Assassin trained at Toowoomba by Donald Baker. 

Baker has travelled to Charleville and Dalby to win feature races and then took Lone Assassin to Doomben where he was placed in a Benchmark 80 handicap. 

Tamworth’s Mark Mason hopes the injury prone Hot Diggity can deliver on the outstanding promise shown early in his career and Hot Diggity is now second up after a pleasing return at Scone.

“Jim Delaney also trains the top weight in the cup with Universal Belief to carry 58.5kg from barrier four in the 12-horse field. They meet an evenly balanced field with recent winners Perlaact, Counter Spy and Sir Will Do.

Perlaact has won his last three at his home Taree track for trainer Greg Drury while Sir Will Do won at Coffs Harbour two starts back for his trainer, Wauchope’s Robyn Pritchard.

Broadmeadow trainer Steve Hodge is also chasing a third Inverell Cup with promising stayer Strike Me Lucky, who won at Warwick Farm during winter and is raced in similar interests to Hodge’s two time Inverell Cup winner Geigeron.

“Geigeron won the 2009 Inverell Cup and returned in 2010 to win again but, uniquely, the 2010 Cup was run in June after the traditional New Years Day meeting was rained out.”