The Bathurst club's massive festival of pacing is drawing near and the pressure is building on trainers to have their juveniles ready, and today's race will be an important stepping stone for a number of stables.

Among the runners lining up in today's $5100 event will be Karloo Damajor, trained in Dubbo by Peter Gavin and owned by Barry and Ronda Lew.

The gelding comes from one of the Lews' most successful bloodlines, being a son of star stallion Art Major (USA) out of the well-performed mare Karloo Ronnie.

On the track Karloo Ronnie raced seven times for four wins and two minor placings but she has been a top broodmare for the family, throwing winner after winner.

Her first foal Karloo Titan, a son of Grinfromeartoear (USA), won 23 races and was placed on a further 26 occasions from his 100-start career while her next offspring, Karloo Bronson, was a brilliant pacer who won 11 from 15 in an injury-interrupted career.

In fact, every foal of Karloo Ronnie's that has reached the track has been a winner and the Lews will be hoping that tradition continues with Karloo Damajor, which will be driven by Mat Rue today.

The task won't be an easy one though, with the all-conquering stable of Steve Turnbull having two runners in the race.

Always a prolific winner of two-year-old races, Turnbull has Purple Shades and Bon Vivant engaged, with the pair drawing barriers one and six respectively.

Turnbull also had Jogalong Dee engaged but the filly has been scratched.

Today's meeting is rare for the Dubbo club, which doesn't conduct a lot of meetings in the Friday afternoon timeslot but starts a busy period for club officials, with six meetings scheduled ahead of the Carnival of Cups/Red Ochre Mares Classic meeting which this year will be held on Sunday, May 17.

Fields and selections for today's meeting appear on page 21 of today's Daily Liberal.