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By Tony Megahey

Brilliant Group-placed sprinter Fickle Folly is the star attraction when she resumes at home during Sunday’s Tamworth TAB meeting, and is being targeted for bigger occasions.

However, track officials and local trainers, including accomplished Sue Grills with Fickle Folly, are anxiously monitoring conditions after heavy recent rain. Presently Tamworth is a heavy 10 rating.

With that in mind, Sue has Fickle Folly primed from a three-month spell with an impressive barrier trial win at Tamworth recently, and significantly, country riding great Robert Thompson partners her.

“I needed the right jockey this prep to hold her back get her to settle; keep something in reserve and there is no better rider than Robert at that aspect,” Sue explained. “She’s a natural speed filly that wants to rip, but we need her to come back a bit for bigger races, and I’ve talked that over with Robert.

“He’s been doing it beautifully for such a long time now; so consistent. He and Hugh Bowman are faultless working out what’s under them, getting them to travel and how races are run. Robert rode her once early career.

"Our next start will be back in town for certain and we’ll set her for another listed race. But if Sunday’s meeting goes ahead, we’ll be racing on a near bog track so it’s wait and see for us all. I’m certainly not sure at this stage of her prep, on a really heavy track.

"But on the other side of it all, the people on the land needed the rain desperately up here. Race meetings aren’t the priority when people’s livings are affected by drought; the rain has been brilliant for them.”

Significantly, Fickle Folly is Thompson’s only ride at present on a seven-race program and she carries 59.5kg in the Hygain Microspeed 1000m dash against more experienced country sprinters.

As a filly, Fickle Folly was placed in the Group 3 McCarten last season to classy Artistry, and then was close-up in Rosehill Saturday class in races won by Sir Plush and Magic Alibi when she led and faded late. Hence the concern by Sue, and the Thompson consultancy. Her city form last prep has Fickle Folly on the verge of being weighted out of country grade.

Meanwhile, Grills has five five runners on the program: "Not a Princess in the first, has been a tad disappointing, but has ability and can improve; Moonlight Spy in the fourth has been just so unlucky with wide draws, but will be competitive again.

“Drawn to You will be scratched from the sixth, doesn’t handle the heavy, and in the last, Blinkin’ Fast is a really nice type on the up and should run us a race.”

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