Kerry Parker's hopes of winning the $1 million The Gong on home turf at Kembla Grange has received a boost after Think It Over gained a favourable draw from barrier three.
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The five-year-old gelding won the Group 3 Craven Plate at Randwick last month, before fading off on Heavy going in the Rosehill Gold Cup.
"I'm really happy with him," Parker told the Mercury earlier this week.
"He's come through the last fortnight well. I threw him in the paddock straight after the run on a heavy track at Rosehill to give his body a little freshen up. He came back and I had two weeks to get him ready for the mile race.
"He'll be right up there, it will be nice to draw a barrier and get a soft run, get an advantage on his home track.
"As long as the race is run nice and genuine, he'll be in the mix."
The draw means Think It Over will likely trail the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Dawn Passage, who will jump from barrier one, and sit handily on the speed.
Defending champion Mister Sea Wolf has also drawn well and will push forward from barrier six
The final field and barrier draw was announced by Racing NSW on Wednesday morning, with updated betting markets still to be released.
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have elected to take Junipal to the Ballarat Cup instead of coming to the Illawarra.
Eustace told Sky Radio the quick back-up from his last start at Sandown and the travel worked against chasing the $1 million prize pool.
James Cummings has also chosen not to run Ranier in the event, though Godolphin will still be represented by Cascadian, Asiago and Best Of Days.
Rock has drawn awkwardly in 11, on the back of a stunning run through traffic in the Group 1 Kennedy Cantala at Flemington, where Cascadian finished second and Olmedo sixth.
THE GONG
Saturday, Kembla Grange, 4.45pm
Track: Good 4. Rail: True.
Prize pool $1m.
First: $580,000
Second: $190,000
Third: $98,000
1 MISTER SEA WOLF
Trainer: Chris Waller
Jockey: James McDonald
Weight: 60kg
Barrier: 6
2 OLMEDO
T: Chris Waller
J: Hugh Bowman
W: 58.5kg
B: 8
3 CASCADIAN
T: James Cummings
J: Nash Rawiller
W: 58kg
B: 9
4 ROCK
T: Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes
J: Tommy Berry
W: 57kg
B: 11
5 BEST OF DAYS
T: James Cummings
J: Koby Jennings
W: 56.5kg
B: 10
6 BRANDENBURG
T: John Sargent
J: Regan Bayliss
W: 56.5kg
B: 15
7 DAWN PASSAGE
T: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott
J: Tim Clark
W: 56.5kg
B: 1
8 THINK IT OVER
T: Kerry Parker
J: Brenton Avdulla
W: 56.5kg
B: 3
9 NETTOYER
T: Wendy Roche
J: Robbie Dolan
W: 56kg
B: 14
10 POSITIVE PEACE
T: Bjorn Baker
J: Tom Sherry (a)
W: 55.5kg
B: 2
11 PURPLE SECTOR
T: John Thompson
J: Rachel King
W: 55.5kg
B: 5
12 RELOADED
T: Chris Waller
J: Glyn Schofield
W: 54kg
B: 7
13 ARCHEDEMUS
T: Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes
J: Jay Ford
W: 52.5kg
B: 13
14 ASIAGO
T: James Cummings
J: Kathy O'Hara
W: 52kg
B: 4
15 BOTTEGA
T: Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou
J: James Innes Jnr
W: 52kg
B: 16
16 AL MAH HAHA
T: Tash Burleigh
J: Louise Day (a)
W: 52kg
B: 12
Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
