Standardbreds come in all different shapes and sizes and Brett Woodhouse is chasing success with a pair on either side of the spectrum.
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The Wagga trainer has imposing two-year-old The Mountain resuming at Riverina Paceway on Friday and also debuts Bated Breath.
While not the smallest horse set to go around, she gives up plenty of size to her younger stablemate.
The aptly named The Mountain resumes after seven weeks off against the older horses.
The son of Warrawee Needy has a win and a second to his credit from two starts to date.
However without a trial Woodhouse is looking to adopt conservative tactics.
"He will be underdone and better for the run so he'll probably be driven a little bit quietly but with even luck I think he should be right there," Woodhouse said.
"I thought I might as well be going around for money then have a trial. He's generally very well behaved and thought in that sort of race if I look after him it would be like a trial for money."
While his first two races were up against his own age, with a win to his credit Woodhouse thought he had little option but to tackle the older horses.
"It is always harder racing the older horses but there is not a lot of options for two-year-olds at the moment," he said.
"I thought they might have put him in the weaker division being a two-year-old but he's in the harder one.
"I've got a pretty high opinion of him so I still think he will be right there if he does everything right and behaves.
"It is an even field, there is no standout there and whatever horse gets the right run will be right there.
"We will be going back and he has good pretty speed so we will be using that to come over the top of them at the end."
One thing Woodhouse is pleased by is he hasn't come back much taller.
The Mountain is on track for the NSW Breeders Challenge series with Woodhouse happy to bide his time with Wagga's heats just over two months away.
"Being a big horse I've got to try to look after him," he said.
"I brought him back in for the Breeders Challenge as I wasn't quite sure when they were going to have it.
"They were talking late August/early September so I want him to have a few runs and then a break straight into that."
While The Mountain has been a natural early horse despite his size, Bated Breath has been a real work in progress.
The three-year-old suffers from asthma and Woodhouse hopes she can make the most out of drawing barrier two.
"She will need all the luck as she's been pretty crook over the years," he said.
"She's an equine asthmatic and we've had her up a couple of times and keeps getting crook.
"She is a day-by-day proposition but does have ability so it has been frustrating.
"She always has a cough and you have to work her on like an asthma puffer but you can't race on it so I'm not real sure how she will go not being on the medication.
"Fingers crossed she can end up in the money."
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