Twilights and night lights greet the Dwyer runners for Friday racing.
Naracoorte
Race 3 – Leolaine
Jockey – Kayla Crowther
1430m – Barrier 2
Four-year-old mare Leolaine is on the quick back-up for a trip over the border this afternoon. The daughter of All Too Hard raced well on Sunday to finish third, a change of tactics seeing her race outside the lead in an improved performance at Donald. That field looks much stronger than her competitors today and from a low draw Kayla Crowther can send her mare forward again and prove hard to run down on the tight turning Limestone Coast track. On exposed form, this is a skinny race outside of the Dwyer runner. Current favourite Perpetual Grace will likely find this too short, and Blue Pawsom has had eighteen goes at breaking his maiden without getting the job done. Andrew Bobbin’s Chiq Magnet looks a chance to fill the placings, but Leolaine looks wonderfully placed here.
Currently, Leolaine is a $3.70 chance in the market.
The Valley
Race 4 – Hollerlujah
Jockey – Ben Melham
1000-m – Barrier 3
Talented filly Hollerlujah returns to racing under the Friday night lights to begin her much-anticipated three-year-old campaign. In-form jockey Ben Melham will take the reins fresh from a winning treble at Mornington yesterday, drawing perfectly in barrier three from the 1000-metre chute. The daughter of Holler had two starts as a two-year-old, winning the VOBIS Gold Rush on debut from the back at Bendigo, before tiring in the lead second-up at Caulfield and being sent for a spell. She returns after nearly eight months away from the races, looking good in a soft trial at Ararat a fortnight ago. The Dwyer runner strikes a speedy race first-up, a number of her competitors coming off recent wins and placings. But naturally from an inside draw the main speed influences are drawn outside of her so jockey Melham can settle just of the pace and hope for luck entering the straight.
Currently, Hollerlujah is a $16 chance in the market.