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By Graeme White

New Wagga trainer Doug Gorrel can’t wait to christen his home base with his first winner which could come as soon as Narrandera on Saturday.

Gorrel relocated from Canberra to Wagga late last week and from his new stable complex finished second with Fighting Pleasure ($7 on TAB) which appears to be his best chance of success at Narrandera in the Auswild & Broad Accountants Bm50 (1400m).

He will also start proven springer Exaggerate ($8) in the Sunshine Drycleaners Bm50 Handicap (1000m) and possibly Dashing Elgee ($34) if it gains a start as an emergency in the Watkins Monumental Masons Maiden (1400m).

Doug Gorrel [pictured left] hasn’t been training for too many years but has spent plenty of time learning from some of the best in the business including Keith Dryden.

“I was born in Griffith and spent all of my early years in Dubbo and Wagga where I started out in sports journalism,” he said.

“I always loved the horses so training was the next step and I now have over 20 horses here in Wagga.

“It was a big move back from Canberra but being at home with my family and friends who race a lot of my horses has been a positive.”

Fighting Pleasure improved sharply at her third start this campaign to finish second behind Manilla Thriller at Wagga last Sunday.

The mare is raced by members of Gorrel’s family and close friends as well as Kooringal Stud which stands her sire, The Brother’s War, at Harefield.

The Brother’s War has produced his share of winners, especially in recent months and Gorrel has a few horses in his stable by the stallion.

“She was almost my first winner out of the Wagga stables and if she backs up and runs as well as last week she will be hard to hold out,” he suggested.

His stable apprentice Molly Bourke will ride his three starters, while he will also run Cotton Fields in the TAB Highway in Sydney on Saturday.

“Every trainer needs that headline horse and hopefully I have one in the stable now,” he said. “Exaggerate has been a good horse for us, but he isn’t well suited to wet tracks so hopefully the Narrandera track is pretty good."

The nine-year-old hasn’t started since finishing fourth at Queanbeyan in March. He has won eight times and earned close to $240,000 and is a standout performer on his race record.

Meanwhile, after consecutive placings Okra ($3) is set to break through in the Watkins Funerals Tom Lee Oam Memorial (1600m). Okra has finished third behind subsequent winners Dubai Centre and Epizeel at his past two starts and is another strong winning chance for Bourke.

Okra’s trainer Allan Fitzgerald will only have the one starter at Narrandera and the galloper looks ideally placed to break through for his first victory this campaign.

Shiny Rock ($2.30 favourite) has never raced better winning two and finishing second twice from his past five starts and looms as the major threat.

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