By Neil Evans
A Far North Coast three-year-old is primed to make a statement on debut at Monday’s Grafton meeting.
Olivershare, a gelding in the David McColm stable at Murwillumbah, has been trialling in South East Queensland but comes back over the border for his first start in a Maiden Plate over 1006m.
Racing returns to Dubbo on Monday for an eight-race meeting.Credit: AFR
Brought along quietly over the past few months, Olivershare is a son of underrated stallion Overshare who won three from 12, including a Listed sprint at The Valley and the group 3 Zeditave Stakes at Caulfield.
Drawn the inside for his first start, Olivershare could face a showdown with another Murwillumbah-based three-year-old resuming for only his second start.
Neil, a son of Headwater from the rival Matthew Dunn yard, hasn’t started since a debut failure at Doomben in Saturday two-year-old company in June.
But he’s looked sharp in two trials, winning the latest on the Gold Coast over 1000m.
With the recent washed-out meetings and subsequent rescheduling, a wide-open, nine-race program with big fields has assembled on a track drying out all the time and could reach a Good 4 by the opening race.
Later on the program, another two-prong second start battle looms in a competitive Maiden Plate over 1410m.
The Dunn stable saddles up promising Pierro four-year-old Pierre Cardinnigan for only his second start, nearly three weeks after he rushed home to miss narrowly on debut at Ballina.
But while suited up in distance, he has to overcome a wide barrier in a full field of 14.
Drawn more towards the middle, the big challenge is likely to come from emerging filly Chillcuz also reloading off a fast finishing second place on debut at Kempsey.
A smart-looking daughter of four-time UK group 1 sensation Churchilll in the Kris Lees satellite stable on the Gold Coast, Chillcuz had been trialling quietly for most of the year before debuting and has even been mentioned as an outside chance of gaining a berth across the Magic Millions carnival in early January.
Supplied by Racing NSW
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au
