The two lightly raced geldings tackle a $22,000 1200m sprint at Tamworth on an eight-race TAB meeting where the track was rated a Soft 5 on Monday.

“The track won’t too bad,” Mason said.

“We worked a couple around on the B Grass and it was a bit soft, it will be dead at worst I reckon.”

Which will suit De La Hoya, he said, who likes the “sting out of the ground”.

“The other bloke (Skyscraper) looks like he’d go around in anything,” he said of a five-year-old gelding son of O’Lonhro with four wins from 14 starts.

“We took him to Sydney (4th) and then gave him a spell for a few weeks and took him to Moree for the Cup where he ran third.

“It was a good run. Ben Looker rode him and was of the opinion the race wasn’t run to suit. They went mad up front and he had to cart them up to them and was left in front at the top of the straight. I thought he did well to hang on for third. We haven’t done a lot with him since.”

“De La Hoya has had the one run back from a spell, that was a good run (at Quirindi). Only got beat a head or a neck.”

“He’s always promised to do something. But both are only Class 4 horses racing in open company. Sue’s (Grills) horse (Under The Thumb) will be hard to beat.”

Mason’s duo will be ridden by Jake Hull (Skyscraper) and Matthew McGuren (De La Hoya), the latter jumping from barrier four and Skyscraper from eight.

Mason also has Epic Event (R6) and Emily’s Song (R5) engaged but is thinking about scratching Emily’s Song from the RJN Transport Benchmark 66 Handicap (1600m) because of the strength of the race.

There are three last start winners in the shape of Hammoon Bridge, Boolaroo and Dustman in that metric mile as well as Moree Cup runner-up Melted Moments.

“I’m not sure if we’ll run her yet,” Mason said.

“She’s only a Class 2 horse so we might look around for an easier race for her. There is a Class 2 1600m at Scone next week or maybe even the Barraba Cup (1400m).”

That might be the go for Mason, a proud Barraba boy, who cheered on the Barraba Bulldogs when they won Sunday’s Group 4 second grade grand final 76-6 at Jack Woolaston Oval.

He gave them a wave as he drove past the Bulldog players celebrating their victory at the Barraba Recreation Ground earlier on Monday.

Former Tamworth trainer Brett Dodson also heads across the Great Dividing Range from Coffs Harbour with recent Doomben runner Hellaroo.

A six-year-old gelding son of Casino Prince, Hellaroo has won five of his 36 starts for $98,620 in prizemoney.

He has drawn well in barrier one with Dodson’s stable apprentice, Kyle Wilson-Taylor to claim 3kg off the 54kg.