MICHAEL Formosa hopes a cool change will help Rocknroll Emma go back-to-back at Newcastle Paceway on Saturday night.
Rocknroll Emma produced a tough front-running effort to hand the Ellalong trainer a first Hawkesbury to Hunter (2030m) title last Saturday and the four-year-old mare returns for the C3-C4 Country Series heat (1609m).
Breanna Lindsay took Rocknroll Emma to victory last week and retains the drive from gate one, despite Formosa returning from Menangle duties. He will steer Somemondosomewhere from barrier three.
“Breanna is working here now and we give her drives when I’m at Menangle, so it’s working out good,” Formosa said. “She’s going good with it, so we’ll just leave her on.
“[Somemondosomewhere] has had one run back from a long spell and got home pretty good [for seventh]. He’ll be improved off that. I think they’ve both got a winning chance and it will be just whoever gets the most luck.”
Rocknroll Emma has had mixed form but Formosa believed the cooler weather was the key to success.
“She comes in season all the time and now the weather’s getting cooler, she seems to be going better,” he said.
Formosa also has Eclipse Stride and Velocity Stride in the two-year-olds.
“Eclipse Stride should go close, I hope, in that one,” he said. “Velocity Stride is probably the better horse but he hasn’t raced since Bathurst.”
At Menangle, Sawyers Gully trainer Stacie Elliott has Petes Big Jim in the group 3 Rod Fitzpatrick Memorial for two-year-old colts and geldings.
