RACING
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TUMUT trainer Kerry Weir hopes some success on his home track on Saturday can help him towards his season goal of 25 winners for year.
Weir will saddle up nine horses at Tumut's first meeting of the new season where he hopes to take a make a decent dent on the five-race card.
Rarely does a Tumut meeting go by where Weir does not enjoy a winner and he hopes with some luck that he could return as many as three on Saturday.
Weir has already enjoyed four wins and 13 placings from 46 starters this season as he works with his biggest ever team.
"You always have to need a lot of luck," Weir said.
"The stable is going good, we've set ourselves a goal of 25 winners for the season.
"That's two winners a month but it's a lot harder than it sounds.
"We've usually only ever had 10 in at one time, I've got 19 in full work at the moment, along with five young ones so this is the most we've ever had in.
"Hopefully we can have some luck on Saturday."
Octaket starts the day off for Weir in the Kell & Denson Stoneworks Maiden Plate (1200m).
Octaket arrived at Tumut a fortnight ago from Gabrielle Englebrecht's stable in Sydney.
Weir believes a relatively weak five-horse field will be in Octaket's favour.
"They couldn't ride him up there so they sent him down here," Weir explained.
"From what the previous trainer said this will be too short for him, but on his work it won't be, his work's been good."
Weir then has Marwishuponastar, Weekend Getaway and Charge To Bank in the Elders Real Estate Benchmark 45 Handicap (1400m).
Weir leans to Charge To Bank and does not believe the mare's nature of getting back in her races will hurt her at Tumut.
"I've only had her for two runs and it was a good run at Albury," he said.
"She's had six gallops on the grass and she's handled it good.
"As long as there is a bit of pace in the race."
Easiestgameonearth and Oh So Touchable will go head-to-head in the Tumut Building Supplies Class Two Handicap (1600m).
"I can't split them," he said.
"They had a gallop together on Saturday and I couldn't split them.
"They both race on the pace so they'll be first and second and both should be hard to beat."
To finish the day, Weir has Sand Dune, King Tides In and Scafata in the race named in his father's honour, the Weir Racing John Weir Memorial Benchmark 60 Handicap (1000m).
"It's too short for King Tides In," he said.
"Scafata was a big run at Albury last Saturday, he'll get back and be getting home."