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By Greg Prichard

Trainer Damien Lane and his apprentice jockey Anna Roper are a combination in form at the moment and they will be looking to start the New Year the way they finished off the old one at Taree races on Tuesday.

The Wyong-based pair combined to win a race at Gosford last Thursday and another at the same track on New Year’s Eve.

Trainer Damien Lane (Pic: Bradley Photos)

They will join forces with two fancied horses, including Zedari - the $4.20 favourite on TAB Fixed Odds for the main race of the day, the $30,000 Harrington Hotel Harrington Cup Benchmark 66 Handicap over 1300 metres.

The other Lane-Roper runner, Go Isla Go, is the $2.40 favourite for the Professionals Harrington Class 1 Handicap over 1250 metres.

Lane accepted with another horse - Pluckten – but it raced at Gosford on Sunday instead and the trainer said he would scratch it from Taree.

“We’re going there very optimistic,” Lane said. “Both horses are in their right races, that’s for sure.”

Three-year-old gelding Zedari has only had the five career starts and his two wins have come at his last two starts - at Tamworth and Coonamble.

“He’s still learning what he’s doing, he got to the front the other day at Coonamble and started looking around,” Lane said.

“Once the penny drops with him he’ll be a nice horse, but the good thing is that he’s now started winning as he goes along.

“He came through that race at Coonamble in good order, he’s nice and bright, he had a good gallop on the course proper here last week and he’s ready to go.

“His wins have come on a soft track and a good track, so the track conditions don’t bother him. I’ll probably send him for a spell after this race, so I’m looking forward to him going out with another good run.”

Three-year-old filly Go Isla Go broke through for the first win of her six-start career in her most recent race at Coonamble.

“She’s done nothing wrong her whole preparation,“ Lane said.

“Put a couple of good seconds together at Gosford and then went to Coonamble where she was nice and short in the betting and got the job done good in a $50,000 Super Maiden.

“Both of my horses are well drawn, near the fence, and both look really well placed. We’ve had a few winners recently, so things are going well heading into the New Year.

“Anna’s been with us for a while now and she’s a really hard worker. She rides plenty of work at home and then obviously does plenty of travelling to ride in races as well. She’s a really good acquisition for the stable.”

Meanwhile, Aaron Bullock has a fantastic book of rides for the meeting and trainer Greg Hickman is confident he can start the champion country jockey off on the right foot in the first race on the card.

The pair will combine with last-start winner Jonny Be Swift in the LJ Hooker Harrington Benchmark 58 Handicap over 2000 metres. Jonny Be Swift is the $2.50 favourite with TAB Fixed Odds.

Bullock has rides in all seven races for seven different trainers. Four of his mounts are favourites and another is second favourite. The rider was in great form in December, registering plenty of winners including trebles at the Gosford meeting on December 8 and again at Tamworth on Christmas Eve.

The Taree track was rated a Heavy 8 on Monday and Warwick Farm-based Hickman said the three-year-old gelding would enjoy that, having won on a Heavy 8 at Queanbeyan on December 20.

“He has to go up from maiden class, but he won well the other day and he’s done really well since so he’s got to be a good chance again,” Hickman said.

“He certainly likes the sting out of the ground. Good conditions, good jockey, good race for him. He’s a horse on the up at this stage.”

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All the fields, form and replays for Tuesday's Taree meeting