Look ahead to this weekend's harness racing action in our weekly preview, thanks to Darren Clayton.
The Ladbrokes Ultimate Driver Championship v2.0 has arrived, with the series to begin on Friday night, with a 10-race card to be followed by 10 on Saturday night.
Interstate, the Hondo Grattan Stakes at Menangle will see two Queensland trained runners, Fernco Nel and Final Deadline and the Queensland owned Our Sweet Delight, attempting to qualify for the Chariots Of Fire.
FRIDAY FAVOURITE
Race one. Jekamias. Gary Hall Jnr takes the drive with the recent performances in Saturday night company suggesting this race is well within reach.
SATURDAY SPECIAL
Race six. Hot Rod Harry. Pete McMullen takes the reins for Trent Dawson aboard the five-year-old. A winner at this trip three starts back, there have been excuses at his past two.
UDC FRIDAY FINDS
GARY HALL JNR
After finishing the runner-up in 2025, Gary Hall Jnr can get the jump on his opposition with Jekamias in the opening race.
The Lola Weidemann-trained gelding has been producing some impressive efforts in Saturday night company and should relish the drop back to this grade of contest from the second line.
Punters have rallied behind ‘Junior’ with a leader after first night market opened by Ladbrokes that has seen the West Aussie firm from $3.50 into a $2 clear elect at the top of the market.
Hall Jnr will also partner with a pair of Darren McCall trained runners that look to have strong winning chances, Sii Sempre Tilly in race four and Victree Charlie in race seven.
Sii Sempre Tilly will need a Hall Jnr masterclass to overcome the inside second line barrier, while Victree Charlie drops back in grade and despite being known for his lack of gate speed, the four-year-old should possess the closing power to arrive in time.
The Gloucester Park Gurus syndicate would likely be on good terms with themselves with their draft selections, with Hall Jnr set to drive three favourites on the opening night and with another four in the top three of their respective markets.
JAMES MACDONALD
The Canadian will be out to upset Junior again, having won the 2025 World Drivers Championship in New Zealand over second placed Hall Jnr.
MacDonald will get the chance to claim an early victory, partnering the early favourite Martin Magic.
Slicing through a needle-eye opening to win at his first Queensland appearance for in-form trainer Matt Elkins, Martin Magic starts wide off the front line in gate six, yet off his first up victory, he looks to have a strong chance of victory in this line-up.
In race six, MacDonald partners with the Shane Graham trained The Luvbug which boasts two wins from the past three starts and will start from inside the second line and follows the likely leader Sweet Dior and Cam Hart.
Despite a career that has produced more than 4,000 winners, if Fenomenal can win the last race of the night, it will be the first standing start winner for J-Mac.
UDC SATURDAY SELETIONS
PETE MCMULLEN
If Leader Peter – the minister of Speed – is within striking distance on the UDC Leaderboard when Saturday night commences, there is a solid chance a second local victory can be recorded.
McMullen launched Free Thinker from gate seven to score in the opening race of night two in 2025 and in 2026, he will again sit behind a leading chance.
Picking the Clayton Harmey-trained Cool Night in Wednesday’s draft, the six-year-old has two wins from the past five starts, including a last start career PB at the mile.
The dangers appear to be Applied in gate one for JMac with a watch on Tyson for Trista Dixon from barrier four, with former Kiwi first up for the Dixon stable without a local trial.
McMullen drives Attachment in race three and despite landing gate 10, the five-year-old will be a major force, with Dashing and Luke McCarthy likely to start favourite from gate two.
Attachment was first up from a spell last start when tackling standing start conditions, making a costly error when the tapes released, but sectionally he caught the eye with some slick closing fractions.
Post Painter will be another that will need to overcome gate 10, but the mare is flying for trainer Gemma Hewitt and McMullen picked up the mare with his second-round pick in the draft.
Hot Rod Harry will receive the services of Leader Peter in race six, the five-year-old winning three starts back over this same middle trip.
CAM HART
Fresh off five winners last Saturday at Melton and then a treble at Menangle on Tuesday, Cam Hart will make his UDC debut.
‘Munster’ had 198 horses to choose from as the holder of the first draft pick and the Hart Attack syndicate backing the in-form reinsman opted for the Trent Dawson-trained French Fries.
The Group 1 winner will be third-up from a spell following an impressive last start victory which came on the back of a solid first up third behind the subsequent winner Final Deadline.
Hart will also take the reins aboard Jimartee which will start from inside the second line in race two, the Cristina Monte-trained free-for-all pacer was a winner for Bjorn Goop in UDC 2025 and while the veteran has been winless since July, some Hart magic can put him right in the mix.
Another Clayton Harmey-trained horse that seem well-placed will have the services of Hart with King Hit making a debut Australian appearance.
Arriving from NZ with one win from just two starts, the four-year-old will be giving away plenty of experience to his rivals, but a Maitland trial performance to prepare suggests that he will be a factor.
