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By Greg Prichard

Jockey Samantha Clenton is convinced from her experience riding Great Danger that a wide barrier draw won't hurt the horse's chances in the $150,000 Polytrack Provincial Championships Qualifier over 1400m at Hawkesbury on Saturday.

Jockey Samantha Clenton
(Pic: Steve Hart).

Great Danger drew barrier 15 among the 16 guaranteed starters and four emergencies and if it's the emergencies that come out the horse will start from 12.

Clenton rode Great Danger for the first time when the four-year-old gelding won a Benchmark 70 Handicap over 1200m first-up after 18 weeks at Newcastle on February 22.

That day, the Kris Lees-trained Great Danger started from barrier nine in an 11-horse field and comfortably got across to sit outside the leader.

"The wide gate I'm not concerned about because he raced positive over 1200m and up to 1400 he should be the same, I believe," Clenton said.

"He gets out well and should be able to get to a good spot. I reckon he'll be in the first four settling down.

"I'm pretty confident about Saturday actually. I think the strongest heats are yet to come.

"I think this week's heat is similar to last week's first heat in that it's not an overly-deep one."

Clenton said Great Danger was impressive winning first-up on a good 4 track and that the current rain that will inevitably affect the track conditions won't bother him.

"He's got good wet-track form, so that shouldn't be an issue," she said.

"He felt good at Newcastle. He was very keen over the 1200m first-up, but he won well - with authority.

"He's got a lot of personality and can do some strange things at trackwork, like when we're heading around to where he's going to work from he'll wander all over the track and won't go in a straight line.

"But he's on his best behaviour come race-days and it was great the way he fought on when Luna Mia came at him at Newcastle. He's won up to 1400m and finished a close second over 1550m at Canterbury, so there are good signs for him."

Great Danger has won on soft 7 tracks at Taree and Tuncurry and finished second on a soft 7 at Canterbury.

The first three horses home in Saturday's race will quality for the $500,000 Polytrack Provincial Championships final over 1400m at Randwick on April 11.

Clenton rode Occupy for Lees in the first of the Polytrack Provincial Qualifiers at Newcastle last Saturday, but dropping back to 1400m was always going to be a sizeable challenge for the horse.

Great Danger wins at Newcastle on February 22

Occupy got well back and despite motoring home in the straight could only make it to sixth place.

"That's all that beat him, the distance," she said.

"He went sensational, his closing sections would have been incredible, but he had too much ground to make up."

Clenton has a potentially big weekend coming up as she will also ride Ligulate for trainer Cody Morgan in the $150,000 H&NWRA Country Championships Qualifier at Tamworth on Sunday.

She has already ridden the winner of one Country Championships Qualifier - the MNCRA division at Taree on-board Magnalane.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Provincial Championships meeting at Hawkesbury