In what has been a successful period for the trainer, gelding Jarrett took out the Merimbula Jazz Cup before Monegal secured her first metropolitan Saturday win at Rosehill a fortnight ago.

With confidence high, Bateup is looking forward to Thursday's meeting on her home track.

"It's been a great period," Bateup said. "It's not an overnight thing, a lot of hard work and planning goes into it.

"A lot of these horses stepping out are young ones we bought as yearlings and we've taken our time getting to the stage where they're mature enough now to head to races and be competitive.

"It's quite exciting, we've got a few nice two and three year olds coming through that are starting to show what they're capable of doing."

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Promising sprinter Divine Breath will kickstart the day for Bateup in a 1000 metre two-year-old maiden plate.

The filly will contest her first race on the back of an impressive trial win last week. While Thursday's race features some well-credentialed juveniles, the trainer is optimistic it will be the start of a successful career.

"It's always hard with those two year olds, we're coming up against some nice horses. All have trialed well, they're from respectable stables, they're well educated and they're nicely bred horses.

"Two-year-old races at Kembla are always tough, but she's a nice filly and she'll win her share of races.

"Thursday will be a learning experience. I'd love to have drawn a little better, but in an eight-horse field on her home track, she'll only improve from tomorrow. She's a nice horse in the making."

Bateup will also start Without Equal in a 1500m metropolitan and provincial maiden plate and Alan in a 1200m maiden handicap.

The three-year-olds have improved in recent starts, with the trainer confident they will perform well.

While five maiden contests will be run, the eight-race meeting will finish with two benchmark 64 handicaps.

The first is a 1000m contest, with Gwenda Markwell confident emerging gelding Charm Offensive can impress first up.

The final race of the day will be run over 1400m, Markwell's Thor's Thunder currently the $4.80 favourite on the TAB fixed odds.

For Bateup, the race will be a chance for Titaness to step up following a last-start win on the Sapphire Coast.

Madison Waters rode the horse to victory on that occasion and the apprentice will return to the saddle on Thursday.

As a result, Titaness will carry 52 kilograms through the trip, a light weight Bateup is confident will hold her runner in good stead against a quality provincial field.

"She's performed quite well in some benchmark 64 races at Kembla in the past with no weight on her back.

"First up in a benchmark 58 grade with a claim, she ran extremely well, Madi rode her perfectly.

"She meets a stronger field, but with no weight on her back, she races well at Kembla. She's definitely not without a hope."

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