Bolinda trainer Kari Males is hoping it's third-time lucky for stable star Red Hot Tooth in Saturday night's What The Hill Great Southern Star.
The classy mare, who was a luckless favourite for the lucrative feature in 2018 and finished fourth at big odds 12 months ago, heads to the $250,000 event on the back of a second placing in the DNR Logistics V L Dullard Trotters Cup.
Males was over the moon with the horse's effort behind Temporale on Saturday night, when sitting behind the leader and getting home along the inside to be beaten eight metres.
"I think running second in that field was like a win for us. We were pretty happy with it," Males said.
"She beat a lot of good horses home. We were rapt – we were as happy as had we won really."
Males is after a change of luck at Tuesday night's barrier draw, with Red Hot Tooth having not started from inside gate five during her last six runs.
It has been a somewhat frustrating campaign for the daughter of Yankee Paco, who has broken under pressure in feature races at Bendigo and Cranbourne and been unable to win any of her seven starts this preparation.
"I've been pretty happy with her. She's sort of galloped when we haven't really known why," Males said.
"She's had a new driver (Kerryn Manning) on the last few starts, so maybe it's just a little bit of a combination of someone new getting used to her and things like that.
"We've just played around with her feet a tiny bit and she seems to be right now.
"She's probably a lot stronger looking this time in… she's probably finally matured that bit more and has had that hard racing in the fast class to sort of strengthen her up. I think she is going as good as she ever has."
The What The Hill Great Southern Star, for the open class squaregaiters over the staying trip of 2760m, is a major highlight of the Del-Re National A. G. Hunter Cup program, Night 3 of the TAB Summer Of Glory at Tabcorp Park Melton.
The barrier draw for the headline races will be conducted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground tomorrow night. For details about snapping up a ticket for the barrier draw click here.
HRV Trots Media – Tim O'Connor