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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Adam Duggan says in-form gelding Divine Bene isn’t just a wet tracker, he’s a heavy tracker and that’s why he’s keen to get to Randwick for Saturday’s Midway Handicap (1200m).

Trainer Adam Duggan (Pic: Bradley Photos).

While he did accept with the five-year-old for the Newcastle meeting as a back up, he said opportunities like that which presents in the Midway are hard to pass up as he feels he’s beaten the handicapper with just 53.5kg on his back.

Divine Bene, $5.50 with TAB on Thursday, scored a runaway win on a heavy 10 at Newcastle two weeks ago to make it three heavy track wins for the preparation.

“He’s a superior wet tracker, very rarely you get horses that are better versions when they’re on heavy than even soft tracks,’’ Duggan said.

“He’s got a really good action for that sort of surface. I think it’d be silly not to take the opportunity.

“The fact he was a seven start maiden when he did win he started on a really low benchmark so we’ve sort of beaten the handicapper. He won with 54kg after the claim the other day and he comes to a Midway and is going to have 53.5kg.

“If we try and win another race then get to Midway grade we might miss out on this awful weather that he loves.”

The only blemish in Divine Bene’s form came at Warwick Farm in July where he struggled at the 1400m in that grade but his last start win not only compensated it encouraged Duggan with how he went about things.

The Gosford trainer said the key to Divine Bene is for him to relax in his races and he did that at Newcastle, when a heavily backed favourite, in scoring by almost 3-1/2 lengths.

“I’ve always had him as a horse that doesn’t have much change up speed and fairly one paced, but he just continues to plow through these wet tracks,’’ he said.

“When he gets a chance to settle, as opposed to going a bit keen, he does have a bit of change up speed and he showed that at Newcastle.

“It’s probably the key to success, how relaxed you can get him.

“We were able to lead quite easily the other day and he relaxed really well. He’s fairly uncomplicated, we won’t be trying anything new and just let him roll a bit and see what happens.”

While Divine Bene is well placed according to Duggan he’s well aware of the task he’s set stablemate Diamond Diesel in the Group 1 $1 million Winx Stakes (1400m).

It’s the heavy track that prompted connections to have a throw at the stumps and Duggan said while he’s normally not a back up type of horse the conditions work in his favour given most of the field is resuming.

“I’m under no illusion that there’s levels to this game and the horses in that race are lengths better horses,’’ Duggan said.

Divine Bene wins at Newcastle on August 9

“But I was talked into it quite easily with the likelihood of a heavy track and there could even be scratchings.

“He’s a horse that handles a wet track really well, he’s deep into a preparation and really fit, and I thought his run last week was better than when he ran second.”

The nine-year-old is a $101 chance in the Winx Stakes.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting