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By Graeme White

Condor will prove a competitive force at his first start in the region when he contests the Riverina Crane Services Wagga Winter Sprint Benchmark 82 on Sunday.

Condor has won four of his past five starts with a second his only miss this campaign for trainer Tim Fitzsimmons.

The Group 1-winning trainer was based in Singapore for many years where he won the 2022 premiership and was ranked in the top three trainers of the past few seasons.

Former Singapore based trainer Tim Fitzsimmons prepares Condor

He has started to appear more regularly at Albury with a winner this week, but this will be his first starter at Wagga.

With nine winners from his past 50 starters, Fitzsimmons has a strong line-up of horses with Condor one of those who has started to emerge in recent months climbing through the grades from a Benchmark 58 only a few starts ago.

With the services of premiership-winning jockey Blaike McDougall, Condor will be having his first start in NSW.

The galloper is proven on wet tracks and will face a surface rated as a Heavy 8.
Fitzsimmons is optimistic of a positive showing but is also mindful of his the four-year-old’s form stacks up against some proven open class sprinters.

“It can be hard to line-up the form. It looks a fairly decent race and I know my horse is going well so it just depends on how good the others are,” he said.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for the well performed Rocket Tiger who won a few starts ago at Benalla for current trainer Ben Brisbourne.

Rocket Tiger did his early racing in Wagga with trainer Scott Spackman who will be represented in the feature race by Just Google Me.

Fine Vintage is first-up from a spell and raced consistently last campaign. The gelding will carry 60.5kg after the claim for apprentice jockey Jack Baker.

“It’s a tough enough race first-up, but the horse is going well and is ready to go,” trainer Luke Pepper said.

Rocket Tiger will carry 60kg after the claim for apprentice jockey Alice Kennedy – half a kilogram less than Fine Vintage.

The other feature race is the ICG Construction Benchmark 66 Heat of the Wagga Stayers Series (2000m).

Victorian galloper Dandruff has been strong in recent starts winning at Albury and running on strongly at his latest start to finish third.

Albury trainer Nadine Cameron is hopeful I’m Airborne can measure up again in the Riverina Signmakers Country Boosted Benchmark 58 (1200m).

Cameron has only had her licence for some 12 months and won with I’m Airborne at his latest start at Albury.

“He had some issues that the chiropractor sorted out and it has helped him a lot” she said. “He deserved the win last time because he had been working up to it with some strong runs at his two previous starts.

Elastane Miss is one of the leading chances after two encouraging seconds this campaign.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Wagga here