‘Star' Sisters Set For Middle Distance Challenge

DAPTO has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons this past week but that changes this Thursday night when the venue hosts four heats of the GRNSW Middle Distance Challenge (600m).

Worth a cool $25,000 to winning connections, next week's final is shaping up as an absolute blockbuster, with four quality heats set down for decision this Thursday.

With the likes of recent Group 1 Hume Cup runner-up Zipping Potter and prodigious talent Embye headlining their heats, other notable entries include recent Gawler Cup winner Awesome Catch, prolific winning chaser Slingshot Hammer, and powerhouse litter brothers Shanjo Prince and Tennessee Tiger.

And while they may not boast the same bulging credentials as some of their more illustrious opposition, trainer Peter Sims is remaining optimistic that talented pairing Canya Star and Riccobono are more than capable of holding their own in the rich feature.

"They've got the ability – if they do everything right they'll know they are there," Sims said.

"Riccobono is about 2 ½ lengths quicker than her sister Canya Star; they can both run but early on were all over the place. The good thing is they are starting to put it together now in their races."

Canya Star, a daughter of My Bro Fabio and Beauty Bale, takes her place in heat one on Thursday night from box seven, her only previous Dapto 600 metre appearance resulting in a slashing 34.55 victory.

"People think she's well boxed out wide but I'd rather see her on the inside – especially off the bend start," Sims said.

"She had box one the night she went 34.55 at Dapto … she's going to need to ping off the seven on Thursday but she is flying.

"You know I gave her a post-to-post at Wagga not long back and she went the same time Nations went for me there after he'd had four or five runs at the track. She did it first go. She can really motor."

In a star studded heat, Canya Star tackles recent Gawler Cup winner Awesome Catch (box three), while the race may well be decided at box rise between Shez Got Soul (box one) and El Rapido (box two).

"El Rapido does get off the track a bit so Peter's bitch in the red should get a great run early," Sims explained.

"But in saying that if El Rapido leads she won't be easy to run down either; she's quite strong."

In the second of Thursday night's heats Sims will rug up Riccobono from box one, the Gunning trainer hoping that the plumb draw can end what's been some disappointing form at Dapto previously.

"For some reason she doesn't like Wenty or Dapto," Sims added.

"I'm just hoping the red box off the bend start drags her out and she finds the front. If she does they'll know that she's there. She'll run some time.

"There's no excuses with where she's drawn and how she's going; I'm not asking for anything impossible."

Winner at seven of her 23 starts, Riccobono tackles Jason Magri's Hume Cup runner-up Zipping Potter in box seven, the son of Mogambo thundering home to finish a narrow second at Wentworth Park on the weekend.

Heat three on Thursday night sees Sorry Scott line-up from box one against Shanjo Prince in box six, while the final qualifier will see Embye take his place from box one, taking on dogs the caliber of Slingshot Hammer (box three) and Tennessee Tiger (box seven).

It's shaping up as a fantastic program of racing out of the south coast circuit, headlined by four heats of the Middle Distance Challenge.