One of three Wagga jockeys in the race – along with Bryan Murphy and Nick Heywood – Prest might have been on Chastity Strikes for Scott Spackman, but the mare wasn’t a certainty to make the field. Having decided on Villicana, Prest then rode Chastity Strikes to a Wagga win last week, which catapulted it into the race. 

“Both trainers have been good to me so it was kind of hard to choose,” Prest said. 

“It’s nice to be offered those rides, especially a few weeks out but I hate choosing. I go to the boss, Tim Donnelly, and we go through it.”

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While Jay Ford, a 10-time Group One-winning jockey famous for partnering Takeover Target, will ride Chastity Strikes, Prest is happy to be on Villicana. 

The four-year-old son of All American has gone from winning a maiden at Berrigan a year ago to contesting the $150,000 race.

“It’s very exciting and a good opportunity,” Prest said. “And we get to go to Randwick for the final if we finish in the first two, which is a $500,000 race, so you can’t ask for much more."

Villicana’s three wins have been from 1400-1600m. On Sunday, he is second up after a fifth at Wodonga. 

“He is a stayer in general, but he is fresh and 1400 will suit him. Geoff just gave him that nice 1100m to sharpen him up and he hit the line quite nicely that day,” Prest said.

Prest was aboard for one of those wins last winter, over a mile at Wodonga. That was early in what’s shaping up as a superb season, which included 10 winners in a month last October. She goes into Sunday’s meeting having had four winners in her last 20 rides. 

Races of these riches don’t come along every week. But in a field including the vastly experienced Mathew Cahill (1946 career wins, with 15% strike rate) on Bulala, Adam Hyeronimus (Fermanagh Lad) who’s had 16 metropolitan wins this season, and Group One winning jockeys Ford, and Nikita Beriman (Supplyzing), Prest will be focussed on the job at hand.

“I try to just think of it as another race so you don’t go out there nervous and stuff up what you’re doing or your concentration. And especially knowing the horse is a lot easier,” she said.

Prest has six rides at Wangaratta on Saturday, before heading back to Wagga for six rides on Sunday.