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By Ray Hickson

It’s been a long range plan by Kristen Buchanan to target the $1.55m Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championships series with Oakfield Arrow and the Wyong trainer believes the emerging mare is the perfect horse for the job.

Trainer Kristen Buchanan (Pic: Bradley Photos).

She’s not fazed by the inclusion of Midway horses into the series, given at provincial level her horses regularly take on the powerful Kris Lees stable, and is confident Oakfield Arrow is up to the task.

Buchanan said because the four-year-old is so adaptable it makes her the ideal candidate, and her form says she’s well and truly good enough to take on a race of the quality that Thursday’s $150,000 first qualifier at Newcastle has drawn.

“I thought she was a definite hope because she’s just so versatile and so sensible and the distance range is spot on for her,’’ she said.

“I’ve not had a lot of runners in the Provincial Championships before, it’s Group racing I think with the intensity and focus on it.

“Having to race against Kris Lees is tough so relative to that I think the Midways are similar grade.”

Oakfield Arrow won a 1400m Midway at Rosehill two starts back on January 8 and she lost no admirers in a narrow defeat at the same track three weeks later.

In the latter race she’d established the lead but no sooner had that happened Nictock made a bid for the front and the two horses engaged in a midrace war. Nictock dropped out to finish last while Oakfield Arrow was nailed in the last couple of strides by More Sundays.

Buchanan said what stands the mare in good stead for the Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championships qualifier, where she was $9 with TAB on Wednesday, is the fact she can take advantage of barrier two and is a fighter.

“She can go forward, she can take a sit if the speed is on,’’ she said.

“You need horses like that because it’s high pressure racing and you need to be able to make decisions based on what happens in the race.

“I always find it’s a race you don’t really want a front-runner because you’re one dimensional and you’re at the mercy of what everyone does.

“Or a real backmarker for the same reason, you need luck getting through. You don’t need a Goldilocks for a race series like this you need something that’s versatile.

“I just love her because she makes her own luck.”

It’s been four weeks between runs for Oakfield Arrow and that’s deliberate, Buchanan said if she does finish first or second there’s plenty of time to have her fresh again for the final on April 9.

“I kept her fresh leading into this race, she tightens up quite a bit after a run so I thought I’d target one of the earlier heats,’’ she said.

“Then I can have her really peaking with a nice space between runs to go into the final, that would be my plan.”

Oakfield Pinto kicks off the day in the Horsepower Plate (2300m) and Buchanan said the Dundeel four-year-old is a consistent type who can be competitive after placing in a Class 1 over a similar trip on February 5.

Oakfield Arrow runs second at Rosehill on January 29

“He can stay all day, he’s a nice horse who will improve next preparation but I think he’s a chance in that race,’’ she said.

Debutant Oakfield Storm is still a work in progress so the expectations aren’t super high for his first outing in The Prince Of Merewether Handicap (1200m).

He’s had four trials dating back to July with the best of those a second placing at Hawkesbury earlier this month.

“We’ll be going back and finding the line,’’ Buchanan said.

“I think he will want the run, as in to learn, I think he will need a couple of runs before he knows what’s going on but will be doing his best work late.”

All the fields, form and replays for Thursday's Newcastle meeting