Keith Dryden reckons his luck has turned.
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Squeezed out of a run first up, Handle The Truth gained an ideal barrier for Saturday's $1.3 million Kosciuszko, where a group of Shellharbour punters who are part owners for the day could snare a significant chunk of the lucrative prizemoney.
Blaike McDougall was stalking Kosciuszko rival Star Boy into the Randwick straight, chasing the rails run, when he ran out of room and was forced to shift back to the outside.
The four-year-old gelding picked up his feet and still savaged the line to finish fifth behind Signore Fox, even managing to get the bob in ahead of Star Boy in the process, a positive sign for the richest country race in Australia.
With top jockey Nash Rawiller taking the reins for the big race, Handle The Truth has drawn barrier seven, with race favourites Victorem and Noble Boy expected to drift back from gates inside him.
Star Boy will have to earn the lead again on Saturday, after drawing the outside in barrier 14.
"Hopefully we can make our own luck this time," Dryden said.
"I just wanted to draw somewhere inside nine, so I'm really happy, I'd been dreading the idea we'd end up with 14.
"It's in Nash's hands now, I've just got to get him to Saturday, but I'd expect we'll be handy up there on pace.
"Blaike's done a great job with and we'd spoken about taking the rails run (last Saturday), he was unlucky, but if I had George Moore to ride him I would and Nash is just about the next best option."
READ MORE: Redzel eyes hat-trick of wins at The Everest
Rawiller made his racing return at Kembla Grange in July, at the end of a 15-month ban for benefiting from providing tips while in Hong Kong.
He has come back in great touch, including winning the Silver Eagle last weekend on The Inevitable.
The Shellharbour crew took a bus to Canberra in the lead-up to have a barbecue at Dryden's stable and introduce themselves to Handle The Truth, after drawing a winning ticket in the TAB sweepstakes draw.
Many of them will be on track for a potentially life-changing day.
"I was chatting to a pensioner among them who spoke about how much of a difference having a few thousand in winnings would make," he said.
"Hopefully at the very least we'll be go close and it'll be a great day for them.
"(The horse is) ready, I couldn't be happier with him."
Handle The Truth was listed at $7 with TAB on Wednesday, with Victorem firming to $3.20 after the barrier draw, Noble Boy steady at $5 and the Matthew Dale-trained Notation at $8.50.
It comes as Redzel, part-owned by Wollongong's Peter Piras, also drew barrier seven as it was beamed across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Gwenda Markwell's Angel Of Truth drifted to $67 fixed on TAB after drawing barrier 14 for Saturday's Caulfield Cup, after the draw was held on Wednesday night.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Wolfe, who won the Coongy Cup (2000m), will be among those contesting for the lead with Angel Of Truth, having drawn barrier five.
The Chris Waller-trained Finche is a $6, despite drawing barrier 19, while Japanese import Mer De Glace is out to $8 after coming up with gate 21.
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