Longford trainer Bill Ryan doesn't have as many horses as his main rivals but it may not stop him winning all three feature races at Mowbray on Sunday.
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At the final turf track meeting of the season, Ryan will saddle up Still A Star in the $50,000 Tasbred 2YO, Speed Force in the $20,000 PFD Food Services Handicap and Speedonova in the $20,000 Robert Fergusson Handicap.
Still A Star is second favourite behind the flying Deroche while Speed Force and Speedonova both head the early markets on their races.
An indication of the relative size of Ryan's stable is that he's had only 56 runners for the entire season, the least of any of the top 14 trainers on the premiership table.
By comparison, John Blacker has had 357 runners, Team Wells 273 runners, Scott Brunton 262, Stuart Gandy 226 and John Luttrell 200.
So for Ryan to have such a strong hand at the season finale is a significant achievement.
Still A Star goes into her assignment still a maiden but her three runs have all been good and she looks a genuine threat.
The Toronado filly took on older horses at her first two starts, finishing second to Coal Hill and Vivid Dreamer respectively, before getting within three-quarters of a length of Deroche when runner-up in the 2YO Handicap a fortnight ago.
Still A Star sat just behind the leaders at her last start but had nowhere to go rounding the turn, forcing jockey Siggy Carr to wait longer than she would have liked.
By the time the filly got into the clear, Deroche had established a winning break but Still A Star took significant ground off her over the closing stages and recorded the fastest last 400m of the race.
Trainer Barry Campbell said later that Deroche, who was resuming, was in need of the run, so turning the tables won't be easy but it should be a good contest.
Adding further interest to the race is the appearance of the well-bred first-starter Galenus from the Scott Brunton stable.
The half brother to talented four-year-old Mandela Effect won his only trial at Longford 10 days ago and went to the line under a good hold.
YOLE NEARING STATE RECORD
Ben Yole could break his own state training record at Mowbray on Friday night.
The Sidmouth-based trainer has 44 acceptors for this weekend's second-tier meeting and is strongly represented in seven of the eight races.
Yole has prepared 121 winners in the first 8-1/2 months of the season and is only three shy of the record he set in 2017 and equaled last year.
If he doesn't break the record at Mowbray, Yole will get another chance on Sunday night in Hobart where he has another 31 acceptors.