With every waking moment it feels like Lethal Lady's hopes of a Black Opal boilover are getting bigger.
First came Thursday's barrier draw. Excited faces turned to trainer Norm Gardner when his local hopeful drew barrier one for Sunday's feature race at Thoroughbred Park.
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Then on Saturday Gardner glanced through the fields and saw one of the major contenders had opted against travelling to Canberra, with Sweet Ride running second at Rosehill.
So how is Gardner feeling with the city's biggest race on the horizon? Pretty much the same as he would any other week, to be honest.
"Been there, done that," Gardner said.
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But those around him are daring to dream.
"I'm very happy with her. There's five scratchings for the race so that's going to help our chances," Gardner said.
"Barrier one is good for a two-year-old, provided they begin well. If they don't begin well then they're in a bit of trouble. She's been beginning pretty well. If she begins well she should get a nice run in behind the leader.
"I thought the number one [Sweet Ride] would be hard to beat but it's in Sydney [running in Saturday's Pago Pago Stakes at Rosehill] so I think Metallicity and Queen Of The Ball, they're the two that are going to be really hard to beat.
"The Freedmans have got Custodian, it would be very difficult to win a Black Opal in a first start in a race, I don't know if it's been done before."
Black Opal Stakes day is marketed as the biggest day on Canberra's racing calendar with officials banking on a bumper crowd before Monday's family-themed Canberra Cup, with COVID-19 density limits scrapped.
"I've been looking forward to it and we're hoping to get a big crowd. I'm sure we will. There'll be a bit of atmosphere again. Last year was great but this year, we'll get a much bigger crowd," Gardner said.
"It's fantastic. Owners don't come very often these days because the races are always midweek. A lot of them are very enthusiastic."
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Caden Helmers
My passion for journalism can be traced back to Mighty Ducks match reports and reading the Sunday paper with my old man. A love of sport turned into a passion for telling stories, breaking news and being a reliable voice.
My passion for journalism can be traced back to Mighty Ducks match reports and reading the Sunday paper with my old man. A love of sport turned into a passion for telling stories, breaking news and being a reliable voice.
