By John Schell
Fresh from a third placing in last Saturday’s Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championhips Final at Randwick with Shadows Of Love, trainer Kim Waugh will send two runners to Scone on Tuesday in the hope of bouncing back to winning form.
Waugh will have first starter Rhinestone Lad ($12 on TAB) in the Scone Equine Hospital Maiden Handicap (1400m), while Global Encounter ($21) will contest the Thank You Rusty Guts Coffee Benchmark 66 Handicap (1700m).
Rory Hutchings takes the ride on Global Encounter, and its best recent run was a close second at Newcastle four starts ago behind Jack Duggan.
“He’s a handy enough horse on his day and has won a couple of races for us,” said Waugh.
“While he hasn’t figured in the placings in his most recent runs, he hasn’t been too far away in any of them.
“He probably needs to lift a little bit still but in saying that if he can run up to anywhere near his best, he would have to have a strong each-way chance.”
Savabeel gelding Rhinestone Lad will also be ridden by Hutchings in its event, and the three-year-old has been fitted for his first race start with three recent barrier trials, on the back of another two trials last September.
“He’s a horse that has taken a bit of time,” said Waugh. “His first trial this campaign was good when he showed a bit of early pace and fought on well.
“The other two trials he has got back in an he ran on OK in the latest of them to give us some encouragement.
"Rory [Hutchings] has been on him in four of the trials so he knows him well. It will be interesting to what he can show up under race conditions.”
The training partnership of Paul Messara & Leah Gavranich will also be represented at Scone with two leading chances set to go around.
They will have pre-post favourites In Summer ($2.25) and Gentileschi ($1.85 favourite) in the Scone RSL Country Boosted Maiden Plate (1100m) and the Kia Ora Stallions Country Boosted Benchmark 58 Handicap (1400m) respectively.
In Summer has won two recent trials, while Gentileschi is a last start winner at Scone.
View the final fields with full form & race replays for Scone here