Tuesday's meeting at Kembla Grange is shaping as the first opportunity for many of the region's horses to race in a number of weeks after the state's bushfire crisis wreaked havoc with racedays across NSW.
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With recent races cancelled in Goulburn and on the South Coast, Tuesday's Kembla meeting has suddenly become a busy affair.
There were initial concerns the meeting may be cancelled, but Monday's weather conditions make that unlikely.
All seven races will feature sizable fields and Kembla trainer Theresa Bateup said that's a byproduct of the recent weather-related chaos.
"At the moment it's hard enough to find races for some horses, let alone when you're losing meetings," Bateup said.
"My horses probably shouldn't be going around at Kembla on Tuesday, but with Nowra, Sapphire Coast and Moruya called off, they just need somewhere to run. It's been three or four weeks between runs for some of these, they just need to go around."
Bateup's chances include Sister Maree, who will contest a 1400 metre class two handicap, and Michael Oscar, who will race in a 1200m benchmark 64 handicap.
Michael Oscar enters the race in a degree of form, with two firsts and a second in Sapphire Coast and Canberra in his last three starts.
Bateup acknowledges, however, this week is a big step up from those recent performances.
"Michael Oscar has done a good job this prep, but it is a big step up in class. He should run a nice race, but it's a question of whether he's up to the quality."
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Cameron Mee
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
