Kody Nestor and Brett Thompson will be seeing plenty of each other this weekend.
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The pair, two of the top trainers in the western area, will go head-to-head in feature events in Rosehill and Warren.
Trips to the city are nothing new to either trainer and on Saturday they will each have hopes in the $125,000 Country Classic (2000m) before returning to the country racing scene on Sunday with chances in the annual Cotton Cup (1600m).
The Country Classic is an event Dubbo-based Nestor has had marked on his calendar for some time and he will saddle up Fast Talking and Toulon Brook for the event while Gulgong's Thompson will have the up-and-coming Amy's Shadow contest the feature.
The extra distance is expected to suit both of Nestor's hopes, with Fast Talking having fought on well to finish sixth in a 1600m event on a Randwick track rated a Heavy 8 last time out.
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The six-year-old gelding has barely run a poor race for Nestor, having previously finished fourth in a Country Championships final while placing in four of his past six starts.
Toulon Brook is one who has been banging on the door in recent times and heads to the city having placed in cups at Bathurst, Coonamble, and Coonabarabran in his past three starts.
Another who won't be fazed by the step up in distance, Toulon Brook will be ridden by Anthony Cavallo on Saturday.
The barrier draw hasn't been too kind for Cavallo's hope, as he will start from gate 13 while Fast Talking drew gate eight.
Amy's Shadow will start from gate five with Jason Collett in the saddle and will be out to continue what is an exciting start to her career.
The four-year-old mare has continually impressed while stepping up in class and distance and has won four of her past six starts, with the most recent coming over 1600m at Randwick.
Amy's Shadow was a $7.50 chance on Friday while Fast Talking was at $8.50 and Toulon Brook was $31.
The Cotton Cup will be the focus for the trainers on Sunday.
The Nestor-trained One Pound will be out to make it three straight wins when he lines up in the $32,000 feature event while Set To Cruise will have just a second start for Thompson in the cup.
Set To Cruise was previously trained by Mick Huxtable and ran 10th on debut for Thompson at Narromine last month.
A field of nine will contest this year's Cotton Cup feature.
The Country Classic is the fourth event on the card at Rosehill on Saturday while the Cotton Cup is the fifth of eight races at Warren.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
