Tamworth trainer Mark Mason hopes sprint star Hidden Pearl shakes off a poor last start when she returns from a long spell in the $100,000 Rebecca Louise Summer Sprint (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday.
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Another one of his horses, De La Hoya, runs at Canterbury on Friday night.
Mason is also eyeing a Country Music Cup win at his home track on Thursday.
Hidden Pearl has won almost $350,000 in prizemoney for her Barraba and Tamworth owners.
A seven-year-old daughter of Hidden Dragon, she is out of a good sprinting mare, Panama.
Panama won a number of races for Mason locally and in Sydney, while her gifted daughter has won eight of her 21 starts.
“She [Hidden Dragon] seems okay,” Mason said. “She won a trial at home well. [She] ran 50.6 seconds. It was a good run.”
He hopes she is back to her best, rating her a definite chance if she is.
However she has not started since finishing a 12-length last to Snitty Kitty in a 1050m Lightning Handicap at Doomben last June.
Hidden Pearl has drawn eight of eight for the Rebecca Louise Summer Sprint (1000m). Robert Thompson will ride her.
Thompson is also set to jump aboard De La Hoya in Friday night’s $40,000 Win $10K Cash At Canterbury Benchmark 75 Handicap (1100m).
The six-year-old gelding son of Dubleo has won four of his 12 starts for Mason and returned from a long spell with a cracking third to Bonita at Scone on December 15.
Freshened from that effort, he drew well (5) for Friday night, in a race that includes the Sue Grills-trained Under The Thumb.
“He has drawn well and has been working good,” Mason said.
While Mason has Hidden Pearl and De La Hoya chasing metro success, he has a trio of definite threats for Thursday’s Concrete Industry Supplies Tamworth Country Music Cup meeting – Strictly Concert, Golden Legacy and Lucky Vision.
Lucky Vision will contest feature race the $30,000 Concrete Industry Supplies Tamworth Country Music Showcase Class 1 Handicap (1200m).
The five-year-old chestnut gelding son of Lookin At Lucky hasn’t started since finishing an 11-length 11th to Dalmatia Prince at Tamworth on April 17.
Golden Legacy is a talented four-year-old gelding son of Northern Meteor, who is yet to finish out of a place in his three career starts.
He was a last-start winner in Gunnedah, and while he has been accepted into Thursday’s $30,000 Hunter Pods Class 2 Showcase Handicap (1000m), he is more likely to start in a Highway handicap in Sydney on Saturday week.
“We threw him at Tamworth just in case he drew bad in Sydney,” Mason admitted.
Strictly Concert will be having his second run back from a spell when he tackles the $30,000 Concrete Colour Systems Benchmark 70 Showcase Handicap (1200m).
CONCRETE INDUSTRY SUPPLIES TAMWORTH COUNTRY MUSIC CUP NOMINATIONS (benchmark ratings listed where available): All Political (George Woodward) 51, Almaheart (Peter Cleal) 51, Blaine (Mark Hatch) 47, Chevaria (Anita Rossiter) 42, Clever Chloe (Sue Grills), Construction Girl (Janelle Butler), Cool Stinger (Nathan Sinclair) 46, Eight Field (Tas Morton) 47, Fairy Fragments (Brett Thompson) 50, High Dive (Mack Griffith), Jack’s Bar (Kris Lees) 53, Lady Cromac (Stirling Osland) 57, Love For Willow (Rod Northam) 51, Lucky Starlet (Jeremy Sylvester) 51, Lucky Vision (Mark Mason) 47, Manning Treasure (Colt Prosser) 44, Moss Heart (Sally Torrens) 45, Oscar The Grouch (Cody Morgan) 53, Rock Springs (Scott Thompson) 40, Rooibos Deluxe (Brett Cavanough) 51, Sagan Star (Geoff O’Brien) 46, Saint Helena (Jeremy Sylvester) 52, Single Image (Paul Smith) 51, Snipex Abaa (Robert Davies) 50, Sound Sleuth (Gavin Groth) 53, Tan Tat Tan Trum (Garry Lunn) 51, Tropicana Miss (Brett Thompson) 53, Try A Lil Harder (Rod Northam) 56, Unbridled Power (Kris Lees) 57, Waimea Bay (Kris Lees) 54, White Eagle (Les Roberts) 40, Winner’s Lane (Paul Perry) 54.
