LATROBE Gift winner Rhyce Parkinson could win his second big gift in three days at today's Devonport Carnival, according to experienced Tasmanian Athletic League commentator Brian Paine.
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Parkinson took out the 120 metres at Latrobe on Thursday and Paine believes the Victorian runner will be more suited to the longer 400-metre gift distance at Devonport, off a handicap mark of 33m.
``I picked Andrew Robinson for second because he has been in scintillating form with three wins and a second this season at Latrobe,'' Paine said.
``And the John McLaren-trained Jordan Englund is running very well at this stage of the season.''
Paine listed Victorian 800m runner Alex Rowe as another contender after an eye-catching fourth at Latrobe and said he would be better suited to the Devonport lanes.
He rated the Hargreaves brothers Matt, Shaun and Chris as chances to win, with Shaun the 2009 Devonport Gift winner and Olympian Tristan Thomas a big show if he decides to run and is given a favourable mark.
Paine said there were numerous chances in both men's and women's gifts which made picking a winner difficult.
Latrobe's Carmen Oakley was his pick in the women's Gift against some quality Tasmanian and mainland opposition.
``The flying doctor will run off 27m in heat 4 and has been in top form this season,'' he said.
``She finished third last year and I think she can go two positions better.
``I think Burnie's Jacqui Dalwood will finish second off a very good mark of 36 after recording a win and four places this season.
``And Olympian Lauren Boden for third even though she is running off 3m, she finished second behind Abbey de la Motte last season and since then made the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles at the London Olympics.''
Paine said other chances in the women's Gift included New South Wales sprinter of the year Suz Sinclair who won at Latrobe and finished sixth at the Stalwell 400 earlier this year, off 38m.
``Hobart's Kiara Chambers who took out the 400m at Latrobe will be in the mix, even after being re-handicapped, the Matt Beckenham-trained Chloe Jamieson is the Australian under-18 400m champion and another contender off 20m, with the Ray Quarrel-trained pair of Michelle Davis and Kimberley Bush outside chances.''
Carnivals athletics co-ordinator Rod Walker expected some good races and fancied the chances of Robinson along with interstate runners Parkinson and Thomas in the men's event.
Walker believed the women's Gift winner would come from four runners - Sinclair, Rachel Carnegie, Oakley and Chloe Jamieson.