Tamworth trainers Cody Morgan and Sue Grills will reacquaint themselves with the great Hugh Bowman on Saturday, as the duo straddle Sydney and Tamworth race meetings.
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Bowman - who has known Morgan since the latter did work experience as a 14-year-old at Ron Quinton's Sydney stables - will ride Morgan's four-year-old gelding Purton in the $67,500 Highway Handicap (1100m) at Royal Randwick.
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Two races later, the Hall of Fame marvel - forever linked to wonder mare Winx - will be aboard Grills' four-year-old gelding Burning Crown in the $100,000 Calyx @ Coolmore Australia Handicap (1200m).
Morgan has another horse in the Highway Handicap, five-year-old gelding Galapagos (Louise Day).
Morgan agreed that it was somewhat striking to see Bowman riding two Tamworth-trained horses at the one meeting.
Also on Saturday is a six-race TAB meeting at Tamworth, where Morgan will have two horses in action - Time For Don and Zouling (Ashley Morgan) - and Grills will have two: Leslie James and Mick's Regret (both to be ridden by apprentice Yvette Lewis).
Commenting on landing Bowman, Morgan said: "Whenever you can secure those top riders, you know your horses are in the right races. Because they're hard riders to get: they generally ride the top two or three horses in the market.
"So, to get him is really good."
Morgan rates Purton - who has three wins from 13 starts and finished third over 900m in his last start, at Scone on May 27 - as a slightly better chance than Galapagos, who has three wins from 11 starts and was a last-start winner, over 1000m at Tamworth on May 18.
That assessment is reflected in the market. On Thursday, Purton was at $14 to win and Galapagos was at $18.
Burning Crown has five wins from 16 starts, for $195,000 in prize money. He is coming off a last-start third over 1100m at Kensington on May 2 - and was the $3.20 favourite on Thursday.
Grills said on Thursday that "it was good that Hughy was available to ride him. The biggest worry for him [Burning Crown] is the track's still pretty wet, which he's not a great fan of ... [I'm] just hoping they get good days and a lot of wind and dry the track out more."
In the first phase of patrons being allowed back on course on race days in Sydney, owners with runners at Randwick on Saturday, who pre-register with the Australian Turf Club, will be allowed on course to watch their horses race but with strict procedures in place.
