TWO of the region's most accomplished pacers will go head-to-head in the opening heat of the group one Riverina Championships on Tuesday night.
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Some of Australia's most exciting pacers will converge on Wagga this week for the first running of the group one carnival at Riverina Paceway.
Two $100,000 finals will be held on Sunday, one for 4YO & 5YO colts and geldings, and another for the mares division.
The Steve Maguire-trained Major Roll will go head-to-head with Whereyabinboppin in the opening heat of the colts and geldings division, with the former back at the David Kennedy stable after eight months in Sydney.
Major Roll will start from the outside in gate eight, with Whereyabinboppin alongside him in seven.
Maguire concedes he has the task in front of him in the heat.
"Drawn out there is going to make it hard," Maguire said.
"Whereyabinboppin being drawn inside us, he's going to have too much speed for us at the start. We've virtually got to run one-two to make the final so it's going to be really tough."
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Major Roll will head into Tuesday's heat first-up. He has not been sighted since a Queensland campaign, that resulted in a couple of third placings from three starts.
Maguire is happy with how he's come back.
"I've been happy with his work," he said.
"I haven't trialled him but I've taken him to Wyalong a couple of times and he's worked with other horses and he's worked good.
"Queensland was terrible. He was as good as gold, he settled in terrific and his work was unbelievable. His first two runs were only mediocre. They looked better than what they were. Then his last run was woeful."
Maguire hopes to be able to qualify through to Sunday's final, where he again expects the nature of the preferential draw system to make life tough.
Either way, he hopes the series will provide Major Roll with a strong foundation for a successful campaign.
"He'll have these couple of runs and then we'll probably head to Menangle," Maguire said.
There is four heats of the colts and geldings division, compared to three in the mares.
Among the big names competing on Tuesday night are Muscle Factory, Out To Play, Max Delight, Wolf Stride, Maajida and No Win No Feed.
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