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By Brenton Le Grand

It will be an emotional day at The Entertainment Grounds at Gosford this Thursday as the crace club pays it's respects to local trainer Fred Cowell who passed away last weekend.

Cowell had spent over 30 years in the area, and was a friendly and familiar face to all at the races. Race seven on the card is named the Fred Cowell Memorial BM 65 Handicap, and will honour the popular trainer who always had a handy one in the stable, more recently the Group-winning Mighty Lucky.

Fred Cowell with jockey Nathan Thomas after Mighty Lucky had scored at Rosehill Gardens. Image by Bradley Photographers

Sitting on 10 wins for the season in the local trainers' premiership, Angela Davies will look to edge closer to current leader Tony Newing (on 13 wins) as she saddles up her three-year-old Bel Esprit filly Rubel in the Glason Group Fillies and Mares BM 67 Handicap over 1200m.

Davies has engaged Amelia Denby for the ride, who is coming back from a horror fall at Wellington on April 7 where she suffered a broken back.

“I’ve been riding some of Rubel’s trackwork since I’ve been back and she strikes me as a horse with a lot of ability,” Denby said. “She’s run well fresh before and hopefully she is a bit stronger and more mature this time in.”

Later in the card, another local trainer Gregory McFarlane has two live chances with the first being Our Winnie in the Coast and Country Insurance Maiden Plate over 1600m. The four-year-old Wanted mare aims to break her maiden status following some close-up finishes at Tamworth in recent weeks.

McFarlane’s second runner for the day is Second Island in the Pearces Plastering Class 2 Handicap over 1100m. The three-year-old Star Witness filly has always been thereabouts with a win and five seconds from her eight starts to date and is nice in at the weights with the 54kg minimum.

It will be a great day on course for the Men of League Foundation who care for the men, women and children of the rugby league community. The first race is scheduled for 12.20pm, with hospitality packages available in the Panorama Lounge and Open Terrace.

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