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By Tony Megahey

Scone veteran Stephen Jones has been in racing long enough to identify a forgive run, and is adamant Victory Red will be a big improver at Sunday’s in depth Quirindi Jockey Club TAB meeting.

Victory Red was tenacious in leading to win a country treble, but when he contested a Royal Randwick TAB Highway event last month, he tailed off and finished distressed.

“He travelled badly on the long trip down, cut a leg, drew wide and was never on the track,” said Jones whose career as a jockey and trainer spans four decades and two countries.

“Just forget he went around; his previous form showed he’s a far better horse than that. “We’ve freshened him up; he’s worked well, and we’re happy going into the right grade, with a girl back on that has won on him twice. “He’s back to where we had him before Randwick, and he’ll be really competitive. “Anyway, he’s still a relatively inexperienced three-year-old at travelling.  I’ve been around long enough to understand you get those days and issues in racing where you’d wished you’d stayed home.”

In the TAB.COM.AU Class 3, 1600m Quirindi event, front running Victory Red carries 57kg for Grafton’s Jodi Worley, and from barrier three is drawn to make the pace where he races best.  Worley, who has ridden more than 150 wins on country tracks, rode Victory Red for a breakthrough TAB win over 1600m on a heavy track at Tamworth on October 15 following successive wins on non-TAB tracks at Mendooran and Barraba.

Victory Red is a Sidereus three-year- old, with the strike rate of three wins from just six starts.

A predicted soft track will suit him.

Multiple Group winner Paul Perry has the favourite in Dynamic Dynasty, a three-race winner who has been placed in tougher grade at Wyong and Scone.  Mark Mason’s recent Tamworth winner Epic Event with the Robert Thompson influence will also be strongly fancied.

The popular and spacious Quirindi track again has the formidable presence of Perry and Group winner Kris Lees. They dominate with numbers, and the majority of favourites on a seven-race programme. Quirindi at present is rated a soft five in fine weather.

View the fields and form for Sunday's Quirindi meeting here.