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By Geoff Newling

Daniel Bowen is hoping to continue a winning run at Ballina on Tuesday when the young Lismore trainer saddles up nine runners on the seven-race TAB program. Wins at Grafton and Ipswich last week with Greselin and Malmoosa has Bowen in a buoyant mood although he doesn’t have anything “special” to extol.

“Yes we’ve had a good week,” Daniel Bowen said. “Greslin won the open handicap at Grafton on Tuesday and then Malmoosa won at Ipswich on Wednesday. That was a pretty good win too (Malmoosa) against a pretty strong field. Hopefully, she can take the next step up to a Saturday (in Brisbane).

"She’s A Class 6 now. It would be nice to win a Saturday race with her but we’ll take her one race at a time. She is racing consistently and loves Ipswich.”

“After her first win there I took her to town but she drew the widest gate at Doomben, went back to last and there was no speed on. She was last at the turn and made some ground. We went there again over 1600m but she never got a crack at them.”

He was trying to “get her right for the Country Championships” but drew 14 in the Grafton Qualifier and got held up at the turn before finishing strongly to finish just behind the placings (won by Snitz).

“She’s now won five for us in the past nine months, done really well and on that Ipswich win has got a few more in her yet.”

At the beginning of the season, Daniel had posted 20 wins as his aim. “We’ve got 14 so far,” he said. “It’s going good and we're on target.”

Bowen has 16 in work and slowly raising the quality of his horses to be able to compete with the influx of well-bred Queensland horses continually raiding across the border. He thinks Almas (R1) and Queen Of Kingston (R6) might be his best chances tomorrow. Both will be ridden by Larry Cassidy and both have drawn barrier eight in their respective first and sixth races.

“They are nice horses,” he said. “Queen Of Kingston has had two starts for a win and a placing but she did struggle last time in with shin soreness. She is first-up and will be competitive.”

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Ballina here