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By Gary Harley

The last of the qualifiers for the $500,000 Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championships Final will be held at Newcastle this Thursday.

It is the Wildcard and the first three placegetters will head to Randwick for the Final on April 8 - Day 2 of The Star Championships.

Kris Lees has dominated the series winning four of the eight Finals.

Loch Eagle (Dylan Gibbons) wins at Canterbury Park. Image by Bradley Photographers

The Newcastle premier trainer will run four of his team in Thursday's qualifier - Loch Eagle ($4.60 equal favourite on TAB), Spangler ($10), Willinga Freefall ($8) and Baltic Coast ($16).

Loch Eagle is the best fancied in betting and the Kiwi-owned son of Lonhro only has to produce his best form to go close.

Loch Eagle had his first run in 2023 in the Gosford Provincial Qualifier over 1200m on March 16 but found the trip too short and finished out of a place.

The four-year-old will have conditions to suit on Thursday as the Newcastle track received 84mm of rain for the week ending Wednesday at 9am.

Loch Eagle has won twice on very heavy tracks and one on a soft track. He has a good second-up record and the long straight and 1400m is ideal.

Lees’s apprentice Dylan Gibbons has the mount.

Lees has already qualified two of his team for the Final - Cloudland and last Saturday’s brilliant Wyong winner Acquitted.

Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup has already qualified Short Shorts, Phearson and Cross the Rubicon for the Final and he will saddle up the Wildcard equal favourite The Poacher ($4.60) on Thursday.

The Poacher has won four from nine and he is fitter after two runs this prep. In the spring he won two on the trot at Rosehill and Warwick Farm.

Not surprisingly, the Wildcard has attracted a cracking field.

Meanwhile, Arrowfield’s Dundeel mare Mirror Queen ($3.30 fav) steps up to a suitable trip when she contests the 1850m PFD Foodservice Benchmark 64 Handicap on Thursday.

The mare has won four from nine and two from four on wet tracks. Aaron Bullock, currently in fourth place in the Australian Jockeys' Premiership with 105½ winners, has the mount on Mirror Queen.

Two promising sprinters will do battle in the final event the Coastline Pools and Spas Provincial Class 1 Handicap (1200m).  Both Jedibeel (Brad Widdup, $1.85 fav) and Karedada (Angela Davies, $4.20) are lightly raced.

The New Zealand-bred Jedibeel bolted in with a Hawkesbury maiden on a soft 6 on debut on March 14.

Karedada has not raced since a six-length win on the Beaumont Track in October. The track that day was a Heavy 10 and he has had two quiet recent trials.

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