Neil Evans
A smart Canberra mare heads to a happy hunting ground in the Riverina on Monday set to lift her winning strike rate to one of the more impressive anywhere in NSW.
Dupli Kate, a progressive four-year-old daughter of renowned soft-track sire Star Turn, tackles the feature Benchmark 82 Handicap over 1400m at Wagga third-up for the Norm Gardner stable.
Unbeaten at the track from two starts, Dupli Kate has been given a five week freshen-up since being beaten under four lengths when resuming in much deeper fillies and mares BM 78 grade over 1300m at Rosehill.
Before that, she had resumed with a handy closing effort in an open Federal Handicap at home over 1280m.
Now a drop in class and depth, and a further 100m, is the recipe a long list of connections are banking on for Dupli Kate to notch a seventh career win from only 17 starts.
Despite being very lightly raced through 2025, she captured both the Listed Wagga Guineas over a mile and a strong BM 82 over 1435m at Moruya before being spelled.
In early betting, Dupli Kate was around $3.60 just ahead of Kembla-based Presides ($3.80) and local five-year-old Future Fund ($5.50).
And Dupli Kate could play the star role in another successful raid on the region by Canberra stables.
Earlier on a very open program, progressive filly Rockabye Roxy is primed to finally break through for the Keith Dryden and Libby Snowden yard in a Maiden Handicap over 1400m.
The daughter of Written By has beaten all but the winner in three runs this campaign since being transferred from the Gary Portelli stable at Warwick Farm.
The Nick Olive stable can also join the major action from the capital with improving mare Midnight Affair when she tackles a modest BM 58 Handicap over a mile third-up.
Despite not having won for nearly 17 months, Midnight Affair has always shown a liking for the Wagga circuit, and she emerged an early $4 favourite in an open betting race.
Supplied by Racing NSW
