The decision of the Anthony and Sam Freedman stable to make the trip with Open Minded forced top Sydney jockey Nash Rawiller to stick with his original booking.

That opened up the ride on Handle The Truth, who Rawiller was also down to ride.

Canberra trainer Keith Dryden and connections opted for Owen, who has ridden the horse in all of his track gallops this preparation.

Handle The Truth is an $8.50 chance in the Town Plate and Owen believes it will undoubtedly be one of the biggest rides of his career.

"I've never had a Town Plate ride," Owen said.

"It's hard to get rides when you can only ride 57kg. There's usually only three or four above that and when the good jockeys are coming from Sydney, it's hard to get them.

"I'm super excited. Even when I went to ride in that group three on Call Me Artie the other week, that race wasn't worth $200,000."

What excites Owen most is Handle The Truth's chances.

"He's a proper horse on his day and he's nearly back to his best and that's what excites me," he said.

"I've done all his gallops this prep and rode him last Saturday morning and he absolutely flew."

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Handle The Truth will carry the top weight of 61kg and will start from barrier 10.

Owen has a strong book of rides on Thursday, including the ride on Nick Olive's impressive two-year-old Nephradiva.

Meantime, Anthony Freedman will be out to win his second Wagga Town Plate with Open Minded.

The last time Freedman saddled up a runner in the Town Plate, it was Santa Ana Lane.

The stable has decided to send Open Minded up for the Plate, despite drawing the outside gate.

Open Minded has won his last four starts, including an all-the-way win at Caulfield on April 24.

"Dave Azzopardi bought him from New Zealand off a trial win and he came here and went bang, bang, bang," racing manager Brad Taylor said.

"He just lost his way a little bit after that...he's taken a little bit more time to mature and develop but he's returned in really good order and is putting things together this prep.

"He's got a pretty good racing style, he puts himself on speed and has a pretty high cruising speed and as you seen at Caulfield the other week, got the rivals off the bit and chasing and it does take a good horse to run past him."

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