Bruce Harpley is expected to line up two hopefuls on Saturday as he chases that elusive win in the Junee Pacers Cup.
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He’s won group one races across the country, but success as a trainer in his hometown feature continues to elude him.
Harpley has set Roll One Over for the race and he could also be represented by group one performer Rubies For Tash.
However after a couple of narrow defeats, he’s trying not to have any expectations.
Rubies For Tash is no guarantee to take her place in the cup heats on Saturday.
She won a trial at Coolamon on Sunday but after a set back has Harpley ensure whether she will head into the race first up from a spell.
“She’s touch and go but I haven’t really made up my mind with her,” he said.
“She’s a lot bigger than what she was last year when she was racing and it’s different when you are going back into that grade.”
Harpley will wait and see how she works during the week before deciding whether to nominate the mare.
Junee has brought back heats for their feature race for the first time since 2010 after it has been run as a straight race for almost the last decade.
Harpley expects it might make it easier for a local victory.
“At the time they (the heats) were falling away, but you want to make it a bit harder for the raiders,” he said.
“Rather than turning up for one race if they want to come to the heats then good and well, and if they don’t then stay at home.”
Both the heats and final are also limited to Australian bred horses.
The final the highlight of the club’s Carnival of Cups on January 27.
A consolation will also be run on the night.
Rubies For Tash was almost sold to America however Harpley changed his mind after getting a sense the mare was trying to tell him something.
First she went lame in the paddock when the initial vet inspection was due.
A throat problem was then detected, and has since been operated on, but by that time Harpley had decided not to sell anyway.
Harpley also planned to have Innocent Crocker in the race but that planned changed when she qualified for a Menangle Series Final last weekend.
Roll One Over comes into the race after a win over Innocent Crocker at Albury at New Year’s Eve.
It was his first win since March, but he has won eight of 38 starts with another 10 minor placings.
He’ll come into the heats third up from a spell and is assessed as a C4 in the race for C3 to C6 pacers after finishing third in the race last year.
Roll One Over was beaten 2.1 metres by Rocking in the feature race last year.
It is part of a string of near misses for the Junee trainer with Stening beaten a half head in 2017 and Sokys Bigbullet by a neck in 2015.
Fields will be available on Wednesday evening.