Burrumbeet trainer Michael Stanley is hoping a front row draw can be the right tonic for his stable top-liner Rackemup Tigerpie when he shoots for glory in Saturday night's Hygain Breeders Crown Championship.
Stanley will partner the horse in the clash at Tabcorp Park Melton, which despite carrying Group 2 status is a major highlight on a card dominated by Group 1 affairs.
The son of Rock N Roll Heaven has been forced to do it tough from second row draws in his recent starts, including last weekend's close-up third in the Minuteman Free For All when run down by Jilliby Bandit and Berisari.
Rackemup Tigerpie will come out of barrier seven in the $50,000 event for four-year-old entires and geldings over 2240m.
"He gets a front line draw which he hasn't seen for quite a while, albeit outside the front," Stanley said.
"Hopefully we can get forward straight away and dictate instead of others dictating to us because we have been having to settle in the second half of the field.
"He's been racing really well in those free-for-alls from behind. He copped a bit of a check last week and was a bit unlucky.
"He done a good job to pick himself up and go again. He was four wide for a long time in that quickly run race. I'm really happy with how he is tracking and he's spot on to head into Saturday night."
Following the run in the Breeders Crown Championship, Stanley is plotting a crack at the Kilmore Pacing Cup on September 26 and then the Victoria Cup on October 12.
Stanley's other runner on Saturday night is the talented juvenile Iolanta, which takes her place in the Group 1 Always B Miki Breeders Crown final for two-year-old fillies.
The horse came on to many people's radar with her stunning win in the Group 2 Tatlow Stakes in late July when she prevailed despite galloping out at the start.
Since then, the daughter of Bettors Delight has run second in a heat of the Breeders Crown Series behind Jemstone and then fifth in the semi, beaten just 2.9 metres by Amelia Rose despite sitting parked in a slick mile rate of 1:55.7.
"She probably actually went better last week than what she went that night she won. It sounds silly but if you are going off times, she was three wide the first 600 metres, sat in the breeze and they went 1:55 so she did go better," Stanley said.
Stanley is hoping for some pressure to be applied to Emma Stewart's short-priced favourite Maajida to give him a chance from a back row draw on Saturday night.
"Sometimes you worry when there's a short-priced favourite drawn so well that they are going to amble the lead time and amble through the first lap. Then it makes it really hard," Stanley said.
"But Maajida has been crossed a couple of times so we really are banking on something trying to get across and injecting a bit of pace into the race.
"And if that happens, we've got a good trailing draw and she'll be right in it as one of the major players if that happens."
Win, lose or draw, Iolanta is set for a spell before being aimed at some of the major Oaks in her three-year-old season.