Twenty-five Shellharbour pensioners will get more than a barbecue if Handle The Truth salutes in the $1.3 million Kosciuszko.
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They're the slot holders who have picked Canberra trainer Keith Dryden's charge for the feature 1200-metre race at Randwick on Saturday.
Dryden's happy with the four-year-old gelding's form, having finished an unlucky fifth last start at Randwick two weeks ago.
He was hoping for the win - which would claim $685,000 in prize money - with an aim of finishing in the first five.
"Lucky enough to draw a ticket with Shellharbour punter's club. There's about 25 of them in it and they're all pensioners," Dryden said.
"We put a day on at the stables and they came up for a BBQ and one of them said, 'We'll get about $10,000 each if this wins, but it will make a huge difference to my life. I'm only a pensioner and it will be good to have some money in the bank to pay the bills'."
Dryden decided The Kosciuszko was the race for the son of Star Witness after his win at Rosehill back in July.
That's why he sent him for a quick spell to ensure he wouldn't be burnt out by the time the race came around.
Dryden has Nash Rawiller on board and was happy with barrier seven.
"I didn't want to go into the race with five or six runs under his belt and perhaps be a tired horse," he said.
"He generally goes well second-up. We're going second-up into this and I think he'll race well.
"Nash will be riding him - a jockey in form at the moment so that's another plus for us."
Handle The Truth ($7) is on the third line of betting behind $3.80-favourite Victorem.
It means three of the top four leading hopes are from either Canberra or Queanbeyan - Todd Blowes' Noble Boy ($5) and Matthew Dale's Notation ($8) are the other two.
Joe Cleary's Up Trumpz ($21) has also made the field of 14. Dryden felt Notation was the one to beat.
"On weights, Matty Dale's horse should be a certainty," he said.
"He's had a long prep so that could be against it ... but the top eight horses are good horses and every one will have a chance."