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By Ray Hickson

Former Kiwi mare Memories has already paid her way with three wins from six starts for trainer Michael Mulholland and she goes on trial for a city assignment at Muswellbrook on Sunday.

Mulholland went to plan B for the five-year-old’s first-up run where she lumped a big weight to win on her home track at Dubbo in a Benchmark 58.

It means Memories faces a steep class rise into the $35,000 Bengalla Cup (1280m) but Mulholland is adamant that’s not the last step the lightly raced mare has the potential to make.

“I was going to go down to a Highway with her (first-up), I thought she could go there and nearly knock it off but we couldn’t find a 1200m Class 3 race,’’ he said.

“This is a bit of a tester to find out where she’s at.

Memories wins at Dubbo on July 10

“If she knocks that off I’ll have to find a race in town for her, we’ll look for a midweeker at Warwick Farm or Canterbury.”

Memories, $4.80 with TAB on Saturday, was having her first run for over six months when she carried the 62.5kg to victory and Mulholland was pleased with the effort given the 1118m was short of her best trip.

Her previous wins were at 1300m and 1400m so it told the trainer that Memories has returned a better horse and he said the weight drop is a major boost to her chances.

“If you go through her last few runs she’s carried around 60kg and she’ll go down to 56kg with Clayton (Gallagher) on and she will be right in it,’’ he said.

“If she doesn’t win I think she will run second but she’ll give it a big shake.”

Stablemate Jet Empress will look to back up an impressive maiden win in the A Corp Computer Handicap (1000m).

She has raced only twice and while Mulholland has a small question mark over the form around her Warren win on July 18 he’s expecting a big sight from the speedy filly.

“She’s a jump and run horse, it’s a stronger field but she won quite easily and we’ll see where she’s up to,’’ he said.

“She won like a favourite should win. It’ll be an experience for her, she’s only lightly raced and lightly trialled.

“We’ll find out how strong that field was at Warren, sometimes the races are stronger than you think they are.”

All the fields, form and replays for Sunday’s Muswellbrook meeting