Soho Valencia
Almost 12 months to the day champion pacer Sushi Sushi showed his greatness winning at Wagga, another pacing star will race at Wagga on Friday.
Soho Valencia, one of the highest rated three-year-olds in the country, will contest a heat of the $15,000 Alabar Breeders Challenge.
It’s Soho Valencia’s last chance to qualify for the $125,000 final at Menangle on June 24.
Victorian trainer Jayne Davies said the Wagga Breeders Challenge was the perfect launching pad for her stable star.
“It’s worked out well to come to Wagga because it is the closest track to us from where we are based,” Davies said.
Soho Valencia will start a short priced favourite despite the presence of Wagga star Macca Kelly.
The winner of 15 of his 26 starts, Soho Valencia won the Group 1 Bathurst Gold Crown final last year.
Regular driver Chris Alford will miss the race through suspension opening the door for another driver on Friday.
Davies said former local boy Nathan Jack was a possibility of taking the drive.
The last time Davies started a horse at Wagga it was night to remember with local driver Roger Strong guiding Hurricane Jett to victory in a Sires Stakes race on May 30, 2008.
“I remember we had two runners and had a double so I have good memories of Wagga and that night,” Davies said.
Hurricane Jett, is part-owned by Davies and Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley, and is nearing a return to racing after more than three years off the scene due to leg problems.
Davies expects Soho Valencia to qualify and make up for his last start failure.
“He missed out on qualifying for the Sires Stakes final so this was the next option,” Davies said.
Close to $80,00 prizemoney will be on offer on Friday with both feature races worth $15,000.
Two country Series heats will also be held and carry prizemoney of $7000 each, while the final of the Winter Championship will also be run.
For the second consecutive week, there will be eleven races at Wagga.
