Sydney-based trainer Jarrod Alchin will have two stable runners in two finals at Sunday's January Racing Carnival finals night at Tamworth Paceway.
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Alchin will have My Ultimate Star engaged in the $30,000 Multiquip Golden Guitar Final, after the Bettors Delight gelding won the fifth heat of the series on Sunday.
Alchin's Justa Little Bit will contest the $11,000 Hygain Star Maker Final after he drove the horse to victory in the Hygain Star Maker Prelude on Sunday.
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Maitland reinsman Brad Elder has retained the drive behind My Ultimate Star in the Gold Guitar Final.
And, after handling the reins behind the gelding on three occasions for three wins, he is confident of a good showing.
In 2020, Elder drove My Ultimate Star to wins in both the Hygain Star Maker prelude and final.
The running of the fifth heat of the Golden Guitar series on Sunday saw Miss Ciriello (Josh Gallagher) and $2.50 race favourite Chasing the Wind (Amanda Turnbull) heading up the field, with My Ultimate Star placed four back on the outside running line.
On the last lap, Elder made his bid for entry into the final when he raced three wide around the field.
"I like driving the horse," he said after the win. "Jarrod had him spot on tonight for the race.
"He has just got real push-button speed when you ask him to go. When we burned them off down the back, I knew he was home because he just keeps on running."
As the field raced out of the back straight on the final occasion, My Ultimate Star produced an impressive run to come away with an 11.3m win over Fifteen Aces (Nathan Xuereb). Miss Ciriello (Josh Gallagher) was a head away in third place.
Elder also qualified Tygar for the Golden Guitar final.
After confirming that Elder would take the reins behind My Ultimate Star in the final, Alchin then made his way into the final of the Hygain Star Maker when he drove Justa Little Bit to victory in the Prelude.
That gives him a chance to win back-to-back Hygain Star Maker finals as a trainer.
"The horse is such a casual fella, and he just does what he has to in a race," said Alchin, who trained My Ultimate Star to victory in last year's Hygain Star Maker Final.
Alchin's wife, Stephanie, owns Justa Little Bit - a Cammibest-In The Midnight Hour three-year-old colt.
Justa Little Bit, the $1.65 race favourite, took the lead in the Prelude and set the tempo to come away for a 6.3m win over Blue Ocean (Mat Rue), with For No Reason (Phoebe Betts) 8.4m away in third place.
