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By Greg Prichard

It’s not going to be easy for the country trainers to knock over the city slickers in Friday’s $200,000 Port Macquarie Cup at Taree, but Tony Ball is enthusiastic about the chances of his horse Ljungberg running a big race at good odds ($21 on TAB).

The cup is one of the last remaining chances for trainers to qualify their horses for the $3 million Big Dance over 1600m at Royal Randwick on November 7 and as such has attracted runners from leading Sydney stables as well as provincial and country stables.

Ljungberg and Mollie Fitzgerald return after scoring at Taree. Image by Trackside Photography

The Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes stable at Rosehill will start favourite Superium - they also accepted with Mount Popa but it was scratched on Thursday.

Chris Waller is sending Special Swey to the race from his Rosehill stable.

But the presence of those Sydney horses doesn’t bother Taree trainer Ball, who was delighted with eight-year-old gelding Ljungberg’s last-start win over 1609m at Taree on September 24 and is looking forward to stepping him up to the 2000m of the cup.

“If he can win and get a start in the Big Dance that would be a dream come true,” Ball said.

“I reckon he’ll get the distance of the cup. He just needs there to be a bit of pace so they run along well and he doesn’t start pulling.

"If he can settle down over the longer distance he’ll get a good cart into the race.

“He’s been working really well since he won at Taree and (apprentice) Mollie Fitzgerald is riding him again after she rode him there.

"She’s got a good understanding with the horse. I think he’ll run a good race.”

Seven-year-old gelding Superium is an interesting runner because his five career wins have been over distances ranging from 1100m to 1400m and he has never raced over further than 1600m.

But obviously the stable believes that at this stage of his career he can extend to the 2000m and be successful and bookmakers are certainly wary because TAB has installed him as $3 favourite.

The big plus for Superium, which will carry 55kg, is that the minimum weight for the cup is 54kg and he will carry just one kilogram more than each of the other nine runners.

Superium has had three runs back from a spell and at his most recent start finished off well for third in a Group 3 race over 1500m at Sandown just last Sunday.

Holstein, trained by Matt Dunn at Murwillumbah, is second favourite at $4.20 and Special Swey is next in the betting at $5.

Special Swey is a lightly-raced four-year-old gelding that has not performed well at either of its two runs back from a spell, but which did win a Group 3 race over 2000m in Brisbane during the winter carnival.

*Gates open at 11.30am and the first race is at 1.05pm. Admission is $10 and $5 concession. Full bar, bistro, TAB and bookmaker facilities.

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