EMMA Stewart has 21 runners pursuing berths in group 1 Vicbred Super Series finals via semi-finals at Melton trots on Friday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Spots in six two, three and four-year-old pacing finals are up for grabs across 12 semi-finals.
Michael Stanley is another Ballarat trainer with a strong hand. He has six starters in the semi-finals.
David Murphy, Alex Douglas and Ashleigh Herbertson will also be represented with one starter apiece in the $20,000 events.
Stewart qualified 11 for this phase of the age series last season, winning four semi-finals and going on to claim one final with 2yo gelding Shadow Sax.
She appears to have her strongest hands this year with fillies. Rocknroll Magic won a heat as a 2yo and went on to finish third in the final.
Now as a 3yo she has strung together four wins on end, including two in South Australia and her VSS heat in Ballarat.
She also has a strong band of five 4yo mares, with Delight Me and Stay and Play possibly the best, but also with the worst draws.
It is in this age bracket that Ballarat stables have the widest representation.
Douglas has Snip of Grand, which went a slick 1:56.8 in taking out her heat at Shepparton.
She has been a model of consistency throughout her career, but she has stepped to a new level this preparation - winning five times and not finishing out of the top three across nine outings.
Snip of Grand reached last year's VSS 3yo fillies' final, finishing seventh.
Herbertson is aiming to go two better with Vapa Grin after her third to Morton Plains in the 3yo final.
Vapar Grin again showed she is peaking at the right time by taking out a heat to make it two wins in a row.
Stanley has Soho Tokyo, which was sixth in the 3yo fillies' final, engaged, while Murphy has Siliqua.
DARREN Weir is closing in the Australian record for wins in a season.
The Ballarat trainer needs 22 more to pass John Hawkes' record of 324 set in 2002-03. He has until the end of July to reach the mark.
Weir is dominating training ranks on most fronts.The Australian metropolitan premiership is the one area in which he is lowering his colours. While he has more than 100 wins, Chris Waller is close to 200.
Weir has topped 200 wins on country tracks - all in Victoria. As well as the national record, Weir is also within striking distance of 300 wins in Victoria.
He needs just seven more to reach 100 metropolitan victories.
