Whittingham trainer Aaron Goadsby is looking to top driver Luke McCarthy for a repeat performance on La La Bron when they tackle the group 1 Australian Pacing Gold 4YO Mares Final (1720m) at Melton on Saturday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
La La Bron qualified for the $210,000 race with an eye-catching second at Menangle on April 20.
From gate two, McCarthy put La La Bron behind the leader before finding space in the straight. She lifted late to finish 3.9m behind Pelosi.
La La Bron was eating into Pelosi's lead in the final metres and Goadsby hoped for a similar performance in the decider, where she was a $26 TAB chance.
She has had nine starts for Goadsby, who took over her training last December with a view to the APG series. Goadsby said she was capable of repeating her heat effort "with the right trip" from gate four. Pelosi, the $1.45 favoruite, has three.
"Obviously we've got Luke on, who's a very good driver and probably one of the best in the country, so all I can do is get her down here safe and give him the reins and he can do the rest," Goadsby said.
"Pelosi definitely deserves to be favourite, she's won everything and is a very good mare. She will be hard to beat but I think the rest of them, it's just who gets the right trip on the night will get the bigger end of the money."
Goadsby has also taken the James Kennedy-trained Marika Springfield for the group 2 consolation race.
At Newcastle on Friday night, Mark Callaghan-trained Hidden Delight and Bite The Bullet went one-two in the Bill and Glenn Tomlin Memorial.