Top Hunter jockey Andrew Gibbons will savour the shorter trip to Scone on Friday for four genuine chances as he looks to continue his push past 100 winners for the season.
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Gibbons has six rides on the eight-race meeting, which was transferred from Tamworth because of the state of the track.
With 108 winners for the season with just over five weeks left, Gibbons is second only to Blaike McDougall (121.5) on the NSW jockeys' premiership. McDougall will be suspended from June 30 to August 21.
Gibbons' best hope on Friday looks to be the Wayne Wilkes-trained Dunoon, although it could be saved for Monday at Taree.
If Dunoon runs in the race three maiden at Scone (1400 metres), Gibbons believed he could break through after two placings at Taree.
"It ran really good first-up when I just beat it on Power Bells, and it was probably unlucky," Gibbons said. "The other day, it looked the best horse in the race and it was a touch disappointing, but it should be good enough to be competitive in this race."
He rides Mummentum for Kris Lees in race five, a benchmark 66 handicap (1600m), from gate one. A winner three starts back at Taree, the mare has since been unplaced twice on heavy tracks at Canterbury.
"She looks to have found the right sort of race," he said. "She's back in grade, going well, so it's a good hope."
He said the Lees-trained Misterzee was a chance in an open race, the 1400m class 3 handicap, and Tim's Principal, for Scone trainer Jeremy Gask, was one to watch in the open handicap (1100m).
"It ran really good the other day [when 1.6 lengths fifth at Tamworth]," he said of Tim's Principal.
"It had almost a year off, no trial, so you expect it would need the run and it will be better for it."
"It came from a fair way off them the other day and wasn't beaten far.
"Sometimes, though, second up after such a long spell can be a worry."
As for Misterzee, he said: "It's an open race.
"The Australian Bloodstock horse, Blazing Tycoon, I've won two in a row on that and it's going well, but it looks a pretty hot race.
"But Misterzee is going well enough. It won good at Taree and it was probably a bit unlucky at Port Macquarie when I ran fourth on it. It got held up in not a great spot."
