NSW To Unleash Origin Distance Surprise Packet

WINIFRED Nora has thrived during her three week stay in Queensland and is ready to make her presence felt in the State Of Origin Distance (710m) at Q2 Parklands on Thursday night.

Tom Rees sent the Aston Rupee-Blazing Cartier bitch north to his close friend Andy Mulrine to prepare her for the Queensland Winter Carnival, her main target being the Group 1 Queensland Cup (710m).

"Andy and his family have moved from Goulburn to Booval, just near The Q, and it was perfect for me to send a couple of dogs to him for this carnival," said Tom Rees who trains Winifred Nora, rated a $21 chance in Origin Distance markets.

FIELDS AND FORM Q2 PARKLANDS ON THURSDAY NIGHT

"Getting her in the Origin has been a bonus for us."

Winifred Nora was third to Seriously at Q2 last Saturday night and both Tom and Andy expect her to improve sharply.

"She had a couple of 520 metre trials and then a 710m race all within 10 days," Rees said.

"With the break from Saturday night until Thursday, she will be finishing off her race much better.

"Andy said she is thriving being in Queensland with the weather and he says she absolutely loves The Q.

"In fact, she is running into the starting boxes to get on with the race.

"That's a big difference to down here. She's always shown she is a good bitch, but has not really taken it to the races yet."

Winifred Nora was a finalist in the recent The 715 behind Origin rival Autumn Storm.

Rees will put dam Blazing Cartier, the former Group class stayer, to Fernando Bale for her next and third mating.

"She had a pup in her litter by Barcia Bale that trialled me 29.60 at Wentworth Park when he was 16 months old," Rees said.

"This litter (by Aston Rupee) also includes a very good dog called Heart Reign who trialled 29.70 at his first look at Q2.

"He is up there for the Queensland Cup as well."

Rees believes Winifred Nora will continue to improve, just like her close relation and Thursday rival Autumn Storm.

"Look at how much improvement has been in Autumn Storm since she first started racing," he added.

"This bitch has just turned two and we expect her to keep finding something with age."

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IT would not be lost on Chris Brydon that as a former New South Welshman he has runners representing Queensland in the State Of Origin Sprint and Distance at Q2 Parklands on Thursday night.

And one of those runners is sprint hope Drink Tins which was trained in NSW for most of his career until moving north to Brydon in March.

Brydon has Garrison in the Distance.

Both dogs have earned their right to represent Queensland.

Drink Tins (Flying Ricciardo-Drink Moet) chased home Good Odds Cobber at Q2 on May 31 but prior to that had been third in the G2 Rockhampton Cup and a finalist in the G3 Young Guns at Albion Park.

He has won 13 races and $69,000.

Garrison (Tommy Shelby-Flying Yuna) has been a multiple Group finalist and two runs back chased home Red Dirt Road at Q2 when the winner ran a scorching 41.03.

He has won 16 races and $140,000.

Neither has fared well in the box drawn, Drinks Tins in the seven and Garrison in the five.

Brydon and his family have been in Queensland for the past few years and have been highly successful since the move north.

State Of Origin Sprint: 1 Get's Late Early, 2 Star Turn, 3 Good Odds Cobber, 4 Canya Escape, 5 Sooty Keeping, 6 Daysea's Rory, 7 Drink Tins, 8 Cumbria Jack. Res: 9 Midnight Queen, 10 History's Coming.

State Of Origin Distance: 1 Red Dirt Road, 2 Zig Zag Man, 3 Autumn Storm, 4 Gully Girl, 5 Garrison, 6 Winifred Nora, 7 Seriously, 8 Lady Wilson. Res: 9 Akela Ninjutsu, 10 Might Have Been.