Racing: Ramsey's Warrior set for SA Derby; Formosa's first group 1 shot

The Hunter combination are on the one-week back-up from a weaving run in the group 3 Chairman's Stakes (2000m) at the track when eighth, just 1.9 lengths from winner Bold Soul.

McLellan took Warialda Warrior to midfield on the fence from a start in gate one before coming wide in the straight in a fruitless search for a run. Forced to go back to the inside, Warialda Warrior was strong to the line behind a wall of horses.

The gelding has gate 16 for his $1 million grand final on Saturday and Ramsey could see the positives.

"He was a bit unlucky there last start," Ramsey said.

"I probably preferred to be where I am this week than in there where I was last week. At least he can't run into any traffic and he's only got one turn to make then.

"I'm not worried about the wide gate. At least he won't get stuck on the rail this time. Hopefully he can get in and be midfield or just a little bit worse, hopefully one off the rail, and we'll be right."

Warialda Warrior, which was eighth in the Victorian Derby in November, was a $51 TAB chance on Friday but Ramsey was confident of a bold showing.

"We've been waiting to get him up to the 2400-2500 metres," he said. "He's bouncing. Daniel Northey could hardly hold him all week. He's been down here looking after him for me.

"When we went to Victoria it was more just giving him the experience of travelling to make sure he travelled and ate up, then I planned it from there. That was more of an experiment trip and he did well.

"He ran well in the VRC Derby off a quick back up and he had to travel down there, so I don't think it will be a drama. He didn't have to travel this time."

"We picked out South Australia and had the Queensland Derby as a back up if something went wrong. Hopefully he runs top four and we'll go to the Queensland Derby after a short break."

Veteran hoop McLellan, a two-time group 1 winner, was making the trip for just one ride.

"He wanted to do it. He was keen after the last ride, he said he'd come down and do it and get the job done," Ramsey said.

Newcastle-based Ash Morgan, trailing leader Aaron Bullock by 1.5 wins in the NSW jockeys' premiership, has a full book full of rides at the eight-race Newcastle meeting on Saturday.

The Welsh jockey has ridden 106.5 winners in NSW this season and looks to have strong chances with the Jason Deamer-trained Rapt and James Cummings-prepared Parade Ground on Saturday.

The Cummings-Godolphin team have only one runner at the meeting and he is in career-best form.

Parade Ground will contest the final event, the 1500m benchmark 64 handicap, where the three-year-old has gate two.

He has had three starts this preparation for close seconds at Kembla and Wyong before a 2.5-length win at Kembla on April 20.

The gelding was very unlucky at Wyong two starts back when the short straight brought him undone.

It was a 1350m maiden and he was near last to the 600m mark before taking off around the field. He stormed home to be beaten 0.63 of a length. Last start at Kembla he relished the 1500m trip and a soft track, and he bolted in.

Rapt, which is bred to swim and was runner-up in her only heavy track start, will line up in the sixth race, a 1300m class 1 handicap, with an ideal draw in four.

The three-year-old filly was given a cosy run by Morgan first up at Newcastle before being held up from the 250m mark and was clear only late.

Before a spell, Rapt came from well back when 1.7 lengths from winner Panic at Newcastle.

Deamer has a good strike rate for Dynamic Syndications and the combination celebrated a victory at Rosehill last Saturday with Hard to Say.

Snatchreilly, narrowly beaten in both starts this preparation, has bright prospects of breaking through for his first win in the opening event, a maiden plate (1200m).

The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained colt was placed when an odds-on favourite on this track in April last year.

He has genuine pace and raced on the speed when beaten a nose first up at Gosford on March 16.

Second up at Hawkesbury on April 18 on soft going, the three-year-old was beaten only half a length. Snatchreilly has barrier 2 and Keagan Latham rides.

The Kris Lees-trained Naahro, placed in four of six starts, will be hard to beat in the super maiden (1500 metres). Andrew Gibbons has the mount and the three-year-old has barrier two. He will sit back off the speed.

Gibbons was aboard when Naahro, a son of Lonhro, came from near last to finish runner-up on the track on April 13.

He again came from near last when placed at Scone first up on March 22 on a soft 7 track.

John Sargent has made a gear change on three-year-old Waverley, which drops sharply in class when contesting the 1870m maiden plate. 'Sarge' has taken the visors off and on go the blinkers again.

He has been placed in four of nine starts and last start was outclassed first up in the listed Randwick South Pacific Classic on April 13.

The gelding was runner up in the listed Geelong Classic in October and a repeat of that performance would win this race.

Ellalong-raised reinswoman Chloe Formosa admits she's "been the lucky one" to score a first group 1 drive on Illavabubbles in the $200,000 Queen Elizabeth II Mile at Menangle on Saturday night.

Now the 18-year-old is hoping that fortune can continue when Illavabubbles comes up against hot favourite Ladies In Red (gate two).

Formosa won her first drive on Illavabubbles three starts back at Menangle before top driver Cam Hart took back the reins for her next run. Formosa returned to the seat last week for the group 2 Sibelia Stakes, where Illavabubbles was second.

Hart chose to drive Treachery in the Queen Elizabeth II Mile, prompting trainer Jason Grimson to book Formosa for Illavabubbles. Emma Stewart-trained Treachery was scratched the next day.

Formosa, who works for Robbie and KerryAnn Morris in Sydney, was grateful for the lucky sequence, a first shot at group 1 level and gate one on Saturday night.

"It's a great opportunity and it's just a big thanks to Jason [Grimson] for the giving me the drive," Formosa said.

"She drew gate one and she should run a good race from there.

"It's a good line-up of mares and it will be a good race, but she's going well and ran 49.8 three starts ago.

"She wasn't disgraced last week when second to Aardies Express when it went 49.9.

"It's good we've drawn next to Ladies In Red because we can weigh up our options, seeing she's the favourite.

"I'll see what Jason wants to do, whether we try to lead or take a sit behind Ladies In Red, but they are both good options."

The chance continues an exciting period for Formosa, the daughter of group 1-winning trainer-driver Michael Formosa.

She won the Kevin Newman Award for Driving Excellence in March for the best drive of 2023 in NSW. Her effort on Dan Fernando at Penrith topped voting for the honour.

"It was a big thrill and definitely surprising," she said.

Branxton trainer Sue Smith hopes My Hepburn can defy her record from box two when she contests the $25,000-to-the-winner Ladies Bracelet final (520m) at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.

My Hepburn will give Smith her first runner in the bitches-only feature after crossing from box eight to finish second in her heat last week.

Smith, though, had her expectations for the decider lowered when My Hepburn drew the two for the final. She has won only once and placed twice in nine starts from two - her worst record on any box across her 63-race career.

"I was very happy with the heat run but I'm not liking box two," Smith said.

"Give me box one, I'm cheering, but box two, second line, not liking it. But she's there, she a good, honest little girl and she'll do her best."

She said My Hepburn, a $4.80 TAB chance, struggled to settle in the boxes when in the even numbers, which are loaded in second - closest to start time.

"They pre-empt, duck with their heads and just miss it. They are just not settled in enough. She needs the first line," she said.