It was an easy choice for trainer Kylie Kennedy to pinpoint Sunday’s $50,000 Bankstown Sports Club Forbes Cup (1600m) with consistent mare Wild Rocket given the carrot attached to the feature Country Cup.
Of course, Forbes is hosting the latest eligibility race for the $2 million Big Dance run over the Randwick mile on November 1.
Since the five-year-old resumed with a Warwick Farm placing in May, the Narromine trainer has set her sights on Forbes and while it's been a slightly rockier road than she hoped she says Wild Rocket arrives there ready to win.
"It was a target to see if we could fluke getting into the Big Dance. We'll go to Forbes and see how she goes,'' she said.
"If she runs up to her best I think she will be right up there. She always gives 110 per cent.
"If she does win it would be nice to win another race to keep her benchmark up."
First and second earn eligibility for the Big Dance, with the winner receiving ballot preference, and the final field is determined on benchmark rating at the time of the feature.
Wild Rocket had a forgettable trip back to Warwick Farm for her second-up run, finishing a long last in a 1200m event on a heavy 10, but proved she was back on track with a gutsy second over 1400m at Wellington on July 18.
The reason for the six week gap into the Wellington race was a combination of the head scratching Warwick Farm performance and the abandonment of the Mudgee meeting on July 3.
Apprentice Hollie Hull, who claims 4kg, rode Wild Rocket largely to Kennedy's instructions at Wellington but ultimately let her go sooner than the trainer would have liked and she hit the lead passing the 600m.
"At Warwick Farm she was vetted and passed fit to race but it was the worst run she's ever had,'' Kylie Kennedy said.
"She never travelled and Reece (Jones) said she felt ordinary. I got her home and couldn't pick up anything wrong with her so we gave her a bit of a freshen up.
"The instructions (at Wellington) were to be back and going down the hill to hook her wide and swoop the field but she took her out a bit early and (the horse) saw daylight and said let's go.
"So I haven't done too much with her in the past two weeks, she seems to race a bit better fresh."
Kennedy said the key to Wild Rocket, $10 with TAB on Saturday, is to get to the outside so her midfield finish in last year's Forbes Cup is forgivable after she drew barrier one.
"She just likes being on the outside, getting plenty of room, so you have to ride her a bit ugly,'' she said.
"The instructions will be the same, just come around them and don't try to ride her for luck."
Clearly, Wild Rocket is the best of Kennedy's chances at Forbes but she did mention $61 chance King Qin, who is an 11 start maiden, is capable of a lot more than he has shown to date in the Seeley/Polyaire Plate (1600m).
"He is a big goofy baby, he's rising five and still hasn't worked it out but he has loads of ability," she said
