WAGGA trainer-jockey Mick Travers will launch a two-pronged attack at Saturday's $100,000 Highway at Randwick.
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Mathrin and Blessed Award will both contest the TAB Highway Class Three Plate (1500m) and give Travers his first Randwick runners in the process.
"I always had the race picked out for Mathrin and I needed to take a travelling mate, she won't travel on her own so I may as well have two shots at the stumps rather than taking a little lead pony," Travers explained.
"He shouldn't disgrace himself. He should be strong at the end of 1500. He got knocked on his head last start so if you put a line through that and go from his other racing, it's been okay."
Mathrin has always shown nice ability. She ran fifth in the Queen of the South on Wagga Gold Cup day and has followed it up with back-to-back second placings, at Wangaratta and Wagga.
"She probably should have won two of her last three starts," Travers said.
"She was pretty unlucky in that main mares race over the carnival, she ran fifth beaten just over a length, if I get clear running or any luck at all, she should have won that. I protested at Wangaratta and I still believe she should have won that as well.
"Then she just ran into one too good for her over 1200 the other day. I only put her in the 1200 last start to try and get an extra couple of ratings points and she needed that run in between to get over 1500."
Travers is not allowed to ride either horse given he has two runners in the race. Alysha Collett will ride Mathrin from barrier eight, while apprentice Ellen Hennessy will take three kilos of Blessed Award from barrier 15.
Mathrin ran sixth at a Highway at Kembla Grange last September and Travers will be happy if she can prove competitive again.
"It's always hard to line it all up," he said.
"She ran sixth last time she was up there for a Highway so if we could repeat that that'd be nice."
Wayne Carroll also has Sumdeel in the Highway but is set to scratch after drawing wide.
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ALBURY trainer Norm Loy has again felt the wrath of stewards.
Loy last week received a two-month suspension and was fined a whopping $5000 for comments made in The Border Mail in March.
The comments were in relation to Loy having his three-month disqualification for a Facebook rant reduced to a two-month suspension on appeal.
In the wake of his latest suspension, Loy has told The Border Mail he will not be bullied by Racing NSW and is considering legal action.
"I won't be bullied, I will not be pushed around, I will not be victimised by Racing NSW," Loy said.
The comments by Loy that got him in trouble were:
"I had to laugh because Racing NSW officials couldn't beat me, they heard the appeal last week and then made their decision this week.
"Just so they could rule me out of the Albury Gold Cup carnival. It's quite petty really. I'll move forward but I had a bit of a laugh about it.
"In a nutshell they are saying 'we couldn't getcha but we gotcha anyway.'
""It's a poor decision that I have to serve the other five days over my hometown carnival ."
Loy was charged with three offences by Racing NSW stewards. The first was conduct prejudicial to the image, interests and integrity of racing, the second was improper or insulting behaviour at any time towards a PRA, or any official and the final charge was improper conduct.
Loy pleaded not guilty to all three charges, however, Racing NSW stewards found him guilty on all counts.
Loy's trainers' licence was suspended for a period of two months on each charge, to be served concurrently, and he was fined $5000.
His suspension commenced on Tuesday, May 31 and expires on July 31.
Stewards said Loy's poor record was a factor in their penalty.
It's the third time he has been found guilty for conduct prejudicial to the image, interest and integrity of racing.
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THREE-time Southern District premiership-winning jockey Blaike McDougall will take the ride on Front Page at Swan Hill on Friday.
Front Page will be out to bounce back from a last-start Flemington failure when he contests the $150,000 Golden Topaz (1200m) at Swan Hill.
Front Page had his excuses for the Flemington run, pulling up with cardiac arrhythmia, after going down as the beaten favourite.
His return run before that was brilliant, winning the $200,000 Wagga Town Plate (1200m) by more than four lengths.
Front Page has drawn barrier 10 and gets in with 56 kilograms.
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WAGGA'S Josh Richards extended his lead in the Melbourne apprentice jockey's premiership to six with a victory at Flemington on Saturday.
Richards produced a top ride to score on Diamonds ($7.50) Community Sprint Benchmark 70 Handicap (1100m).
It was his 38th Melbourne metropolitan winner for the season and pushed him back to six clear of his nearest rival, Matthew Cartwright, with just under two months to go.
He will face a nervous wait over the next week as he serves an 11-day careless riding suspension, which includes three metropolitan and eight provincial meetings.
Richards will be back in the saddle for the Flemington meeting on Saturday week.
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THREE-time Southern District premiership-winning jockey John Kissick has not given up on his career in the saddle.
Kissick is currently taking a break after old injuries were giving him a hard time.
A talented jockey, Kissick has endured a tough time over the last five years with a broken back and broken leg keeping him sidelined for most of that period.
Kissick recently visited a specialist and received positive news.
"He said with time it'll come good so I'll wait it out and give it one last crack," Kissick said.
Kissick brought up his 400th winner in the saddle last year.
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INJURED jockey Mathew Cahill maintains a nine-win lead in the race for the Southern District Racing Association (SDRA) jockey's premiership.
Cahill, who won't ride again this season due to a fractured neck, is vying for his first SDRA jockey's title.
He has 34 winners and leads by nine with nine race meetings remaining for the season.
Wagga apprentice jockey Hannah Williams joined Simon Miller in second spot on 25 with the win on the Cindy Browne-trained Backwater Trader at Wagga last Friday.
Miller picked up a careless riding suspension at Wagga but won't miss any SDRA race meetings.
Mitch Beer also maintains a nine-win lead over Andrew Dale in the trainer's premiership.
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WHAT'S ON
GALLOPS
Tuesday: Wagga (TAB)
TROTS
Friday: Albury (TAB)
Tuesday: Wagga (TAB)
DOGS
Thursday: Temora (TAB)
Friday: Wagga (TAB)