SMART hurdlers Gotta Take Care and Kirribilli Gold go head-to-head again in pursuit of another feature at Warrnambool on Saturday.
The accomplished jumpers from the stables of Darren Weir and Robert Smerdon line up in a select field of five in the $100,000 Kevin Lafferty Hurdle, 3600m.
The Warrnambool meeting was added to the Racing Victoria calendar early this week to make up for lost jumps races at Warrnambool on Sunday and Sandown yesterday.
The Weir-trained Gotta Take Care and Irish jockey John Allen have become a formidable combination, winning twice this jumps season.
This includes the $100,000 Brendan Drechsler Hurdle, 3200m, at Bendigo at their latest outing, when Kirribilli finished third.
Kirribilli Gold has had just the three jumps starts for two wins, including the $100,000 Australian Hurdle, 3400m, at Sandown - a race in which Gotta Take Care was fourth.
Smerdon is having a big jumps season, leading the state premiership on seven wins.
Patrick Payne's Plumpton stable is next best on five, while Bill and Symon Wilde have three.
Weir is in a group of trainers with two jumps wins, complemented by a string of minor placings.
The Caulfield/Ballarat-based Smerdon also has Fareer in the $100,000 Thackeray Steeplechase, 3400m, at Warrnambool.
Weir's jumping team at Warrnambool also features Via Savoia in the Thackeray and Dashdan in maiden hurdle, 3200m.