Bathurst reinsman Mat Rue has seven driving engagements at the big Tamworth harness meeting on Sunday evening.
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Five of those drives will be in feature races: four in the heats of the Multiquip Golden Guitar, before an engagement in the Hygain Starmaker Three-Year-Old Prelude.
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"It is a great effort by the club, making sure that the carnival stood up with all the COVID restrictions. We are lucky to be still racing," said Rue, who has one from his own stables contesting the third Golden Guitar heat.
Ziggy Rocks, won a heat of the Golden Guitar Series last year and finished fifth to Wet My Whistle in the final. He has drawn the 10 barrier for Sunday.
"He has had a good 12 months of racing but has a tough draw," Rue said. "But we are happy with how he is heading into the race, that is the main thing, and then hopefully everything should fall into place from there."
Ziggy Rocks is raced by Menangle board director Daniel Cordina.
"We had a great week there [Tamworth] last year and said we would be back," Rue said. "Our run in last year's final was just as good as any other horse in the race."
Outside of his own stables contender, Rue will partner with two other trainers in the hope of securing a spot for them.
The former North West trainer - now located at Bobs Farm - has two drives for the Geoff Harding stables, in The Choreographer and Rocknlachlan (heats two and four, respectively).
"Picking up the other drives makes it all worthwhile," Rue said. "I have known Geoff and his sons, Matt and James, for a while now - so happy to take the drives."
The first heat of the series on Sunday is a drive that Rue is looking forward to. He will take the reins behind Rocknroll Max from the Ty and Kayla Robson stables.
"I have driven plenty of horses for Ty and Kayla and you are always going into a race confident with their horses," he said. "I have driven against Rocknroll Max and couldn't be more impressed with his style."
Rue has accepted his first drive behind Rocknroll Max, who has had two wins (Dubbo and Tamworth) and two minor placings in four starts since arriving from New Zealand.
"Hopefully he can repeat his wins and I can get him into the final," Rue said.
The pressure certainly is on Rue, with only the first two placegetters of each heat qualifying for $30,000 Multiquip Golden Guitar Final on January 24.
After completing the heats, Rue will turn his attention to the Hygain Starmaker Three-Year-Old Prelude - where he will partner Blue Ocean for trainer Michael Muscat. The gelding is resuming from a five-month spell.
Rue will also drive Peggy Sue Shannon in the Kayla Robson Appreciation Pace. The horse is trained in Armidale by John Enks.
"I use to race against her when she was in the Bathurst area and trained by Peter Bullock," Rue recalled. "She has a decent enough draw and a good chance for an each-way bet."
The final race of the night - the Golden Guitar Paceway Tamworth Pace - will see Rue take the reins for the first time behind Domande, for Tamworth trainer Richard Williams.
Rue rates Balducci, from the Amanda Turnbull stables, as the horse to beat: "I think he will be the horse of the series. He is only a little horse, and likes to find the front in his races and dominate."
