Kris Lees looks to Newcastle Cup with Doomben winner Rogue Bear

Andrew Mallyon took the Australian Bloodstock import, an $8.50 chance, back in the field before stalking favourite Caboche. Rogue Bear then powered past him late for a 1.77-length win in the benchmark 90 2020m handicap.

"It was a good win and a soft one in the end. He got a 10 out of 10 ride and won well," Lees said. "We'll give him another run or two up there and he'll come back at some stage and we'll freshen him for the mile of the Little Dance [November 5]. He qualified for that with second in the Taree Cup. And it's highly likely he could end up in the Newcastle Cup [September 13]."

Meanwhile, Muswellbrook's Bengalla Cup meeting on Sunday was moved to Monday after the track was deemed to wet for racing.

Scone-based Brett Cavanough, the leading trainer on country tracks in NSW this season with 60 winners, said Bengalla Cup favourite Point Basse would be scratched.

Lower Belford trainer Rod Mercieca will spell colt Dance With Carmer and set him for the NSW Breeders Challenge series in September after his run in the inaugural $500,000 Protostar slot race for two-year-olds at Albion Park.

Dance With Carmer, a $126 shot, was ninth in the 10-horse race on Saturday night after gaining the Goozdolphin Racing slot following scratchings. Mercieca, who bred and owns Dance With Carmer, was thrilled to have a runner in the race and proud of the effort from a tricky second-line draw.

"I'm rapt with his run, he's improved four seconds on his last run and I think every horse in that race nearly broke the track record," Mercieca said. "The winner went 1:50:6 and he went 1:51:9."

At Newcastle on Friday, Cessnock trainer Clayton Harmey had a treble with The Mighty Mondo, Roclea Image and Noisy Crusader. Newcastle has a nine-race meeting on Monday.

Branxton trainer Lindsay Davis heads to Maitland with claims for a winning treble on Monday night after a double at the track last week.

Davis won with Key Van and Fun Key Fun last week and both are chances again. Key Van has box one in race seven, while Fun Key Fun will have to overcome a draw in five and kennelmate Fun Key Duck out of the one in the ninth. Davis also has Racy Key Racer drawn well in the one for the 10th. All are in 400m 5th grade races.

Key Van looms a strong chance after winning from box four last week.

"He's come back nice. He had wrist injuries and kept overextending, and it's taken us a while to to put him back together, but he's going all right," Davis said.

"Fun Key Fun is probably a better beginner than Fun Key Duck but they both like the rails. Racy Key Racer is a brilliant beginner and I like the draw. The dogs have pulled up well from last week."