A strong contingent of Parkes runners will be making the trip up the Newell Highway this Sunday to contest what is shaping up to be a very entertaining and tight harness racing meeting at the Dubbo Harness Racing Club.
17 Parkes trained runners are competing, headlined by five horses from the strong Malcolm Hutchings stable.
The first race for the evening, the Join the NSWSOA Pace will see the Hutchings trained Caribbean Pat and Watch and Weep, who have both record wins in their past five starts, go up against the highest rated horse in the race – Shez on Target – for Brett Hutchings.
Awesome Ollie recorded a strong win as the $1.55 favourite here in Parkes last weekend for Eugowra trainer Grant Jones, and no doubt Townsend, a very skilled horseman, can help continue on that form.
Jones, one of five owners of the gelding, will be very pleased with the current season that has seen three wins in 15 starts and $12,344 in prizemoney.
The Red Ochre Mares Classic Dec 18 Pace will see seven Parkes runners compete for the usual $6,120 alongside Bathurst runner Dinosaurus Rex, though picking a winner will be a tough job out of the horses which are of a National Rating up to 45.
Cuzin Pat, for Parkes' James Clyburn, was impressive when third at big odds last Sunday in Parkes, though the gelding will have to sift through the field from the second row.
In the first maiden event for the day will see the Townsend trained Lady Pebbles look to record a first win in her fifth career start after three closely run second placings.
The second maiden event sees veteran mare Poppy Franco look to finally break the maiden for Parkes father-son trainer and driver pair Andrew and William Cassell in start 39.
Cowra pacer Joetomo will be looking for a hat-trick of wins when he lines up in today's Quayle Milling Young Cherry Cup.
In the process the son of former top pacer Alitomo will be attempting to emulate the feats of his mother who took out the Cherry Cup in 1997 and his half sister Imatomo who saluted in the 2010 edition of the feature event.
Owned and bred in Cowra by Peter and Anne O'Connor, Joetomo has hit a purple patch of form since Anne decided to take out her trainers licence again this year.
Joetomo missed his three-year-old season with a leg injury and now under Anne's guiding hands Joetomo has had four starts, winning his past two at Young and Canberra.
Racing returns to Parkes next Sunday evening for the running of the Dubbo Golden Gig Heat.
By Kristy Williams