Emerging mare Cheyella is drawn to enhance her picket fence form lines in the Betavet Tiger Tara Free For All at Melton on Saturday night.
The Laura Crossland-trained five-year-old has won her past three outings at headquarters and gets the opportunity to use her considerable early speed to advantage from barrier four.
“She has gate speed and she can nearly lead from where she’s drawn on Saturday night,” Crossland said.
“She went into last week after a three-week break between races and she needed the run, so she should show further improvement this week.”
Crossland has no issues with the daughter of Heston Blue Chip taking on the boys after saluting against her own sex at her past two starts.
“She beat Outlaw Man three starts ago after doing her fair share of work early,” she said.
Crossland said Cheyella started to fulfil her potential following the Vicbred Super Series as a three-year-old in late 2021.
“She just showed enough as a young horse, but I think chasing the good fillies home in the Vicbred helped make her as she won three races pretty quickly after that,” she said.
Cheyella was off the scene for six months mid last year due to illness.
“She kept tying up, but we treated her for everything after a couple of poor runs and I think in the end she must have had a bug, so this time in we brought her up slowly with a lot of ground work,” Crossland said.
“The other thing this campaign is that I’ve worked her harder than in the past, particularly after taking her to Menangle for a couple of runs where she was out in the paddock on grass and probably got away from me condition-wise.”
Group 1 winner Sebs Choice, who hasn’t been seen since finishing unplaced in the Yarra Valley Cup in November last year, has drawn the pole and has been installed a $3.50 favourite ahead of Code Bailey ($3.70), who returned to the winner’s list at Melton a fortnight ago.
Saturday night will see the inaugural running of the Tiger Tara Free For All in honour of the star pacer who won the Victoria Cup, Inter Dominion Grand Final and A. G. Hunter Cup at Melton through 2018 and 2019.
Two other greats of harness racing have also had races named after them.
The Lennytheshark Free For All is scheduled for Melton on May 13, with the Lazarus Free For All locked in for June 3.
Earlier on Saturday night, NSW Derby placegetter Hot Deal has to contend with a second row draw in the $30,000 Country Clubs Championship Final.
The Aaron Dunn-trained four-year-old outclassed his rivals in taking out the heat at Ballarat after facing the breeze, while his main danger Sly Terror, who has won two of his three starts in Australia, has been allocated a mid-front row draw.
TUNE IN at MELTON on Saturday
First Race: 5.29pm Last Race: 10.50pm
Racecaller: Brendan Delaney with Toby McKinnon, Kirsten Graham and Jason Bonnington on TrotsVision.
TrotsVision: WATCH LIVE
SEN Track: LISTEN LIVE
RSN 927: LISTEN LIVE
Winner of the Week
HECTOR, by Bettors Delight out of Kamwood Blue Chip, in the Easter Cup at Gloucester Park on April 7.
Breed your next winner with Woodlands Stud, supporter of Trots Centre
