Donnelly will saddle up just two runners at Wagga on Tuesday - the half brothers Pushkar and Jodhpur for Sandy Tait and Jill Nivison.

Jodhpur only has four starts to his name but won as a two-year-old against older horses on debut, before running two seconds and a fourth last campaign.

The four-year-old produced an eye-catching barrier trial at Wagga on January 9 and will resume in a competitive D & S Taber Electrical & Solar CG&E Benchmark 58 Handicap (1200m).

"If I didn't look at the barriers, I would have said Jodhpur was my better chance," Donnelly said.

"He trialled really well. Probably the best he's trialled and the horse is more mature now.

"He is going to get out in distance, he's probably a 2000 metre horse, so he's going to need things to go right for him a little bit, especially from the barrier. He does have a little bit of pace but I expect he'll be three deep, hopefully with some cover. The 1200 metre start is very tricky...but I still think he can be in the finish."

Jodhpur has drawn barrier 16 but should come in to 13, in the field of 14, after scratchings.

Mathew Cahill will rode both of Donnelly's runners.

Donnelly stopped short of ruling a Country Championships start out for Jodhpur but conceded it was not in his immediate plans.

"Just to take him through his grades and get him up in distance," Donnelly said was the goal.

Pushkar, a three-year-old, is still a maiden after nine starts. He will contest the Riverina Plaster Works Maiden Plate (1300m) and has come up with a wide barrier, too.

"He should run well, he's up a little bit more in distance," Donnelly said.

"He had a shocking run the other day. Mat (Cahill) said in hindsight that he should have gone straight back to last and come with the one run. They ran 2.4 seconds quicker in that race then they did in the other division so I think it was the better race.

"I think he'll get better over a little bit further."

Wagga received 14 millimetres of rain on Monday morning but was unlikely to move into the soft range. Donnelly said that any give in the track should not be a problem for his pair.

"Pushkar definitely likes the wet and I don't think it would worry Jodhpur either," he said.

Jodhpur is $4.80 with TAB, while Pushkar is rated an $8.00 chance.

The eight-race card at Wagga is the beginning of a big week at Murrumbidgee Turf Club, who will also hold its annual Australia Day meeting on Sunday.

Nominations for Sunday's meeting close at 11am on Tuesday.

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