TAMWORTH trainer Zach Hatch is hoping to open his Highway Handicap account at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
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The young and talented sportsman, a regular first grader with the Kootingal Roosters in last season's Group 4 Rugby League first grade competition, has Hey Dude running in the second race of the day at headquarters, the first division of two 1100m Highway Handicaps at Class 2 level.
Hey Dude was home bred by Tamworth breeders/owners Gwen and Errol Leicht and has won two of his 15 starts for them. Since entering Hatch's stable he has won once in eight goes.
"He's had a good prep," Hatch said of the four-year old.
"He was a little bit unlucky at Scone last start, wouldn't have beaten the winner but should have finished a lot closer."
Robbie Dolan rides Hey Dude and takes 1.5kg off his 54kg whilst jumping from barrier three.
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Meanwhile, former Tamworth trainer Aiden St Vincent also has a Highway Handicap starter in the shape of Hellenism.
The Coffs Harbour mare runs in the second division of the Highway, the SKY Racing Active Highway (1100m) but unlike Hey Dude has to overcome a bad barrier.
The four-year-old daughter of Helmet has drawn barrier 11 in a field of 12.
"She has drawn badly so we'll probably go back and let her find her feet," St Vincent said.
That will be up to jockey Tim Clark though and he'll inform the talented Sydney jockey of all his mare's quirks before the race.
It's a big day for the mare, who has won two of her four starts and is on a Country Championship campaign.
"She's done well (since a recent day gallop at Coffs)," St Vincent said.
"She's had a month between runs and has freshened up well after that race day gallop at Coffs to keep her up to the mark. She's had a couple of little gallops since but she was very fit going into her first run back (win at Coffs) but I still wanted to have some petrol in the tank for the Country Championship Qualifier."
Recent Glen Innes winner, Too Hard To Call, trained by Paddy Cunningham at Glen Ines, is also running in Hellenism's Highway and certain to give some of his young Tamworth owners another thrill.
