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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Damien Lane will give serious thought as to how to get promising mare Oakfield Jupiter to next year’s Provincial-Midway Championships if she can make it two from two this prep at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trainer Damien Lane (Pic: Bradley Photos).

With three wins from four starts to date, Lane said another victory in the Midway Handicap (1300m) likely sees him focusing on the series run from around late February.

He feels the best way to qualify the four-year-old would be via a 1400m heat rather than relying on the only 1200m qualifier of the series at Gosford.

“The plan is hopefully to see if she can run 1400m and it opens a few doors if she can do that,’’ Lane said.

“She looks progressive and that’s the right sort of horse for that series.

“If she happened to win again then if we’re going to go down that path she probably goes back to the paddock and concentrates on that.

“It gives you the opportunity to not go into the series first-up too. The Gosford heat is always a bit later on and it’s the only 1200m, if you happen to draw wide it hurts your chances.

“So I think you’re better off going into a 1400m heat second-up.”

Oakfield Jupiter, $4 with TAB on Friday, made light work of a wide alley when scoring first-up at Randwick two weeks ago.

Lane is wary that the 1300m at Rosehill is a very different challenge for those drawn wide and will be relying on Aaron Bullock, who is unbeaten in two rides on the mare, plotting the right path.

Jason Collett rode her first-up but he’s riding Stefi Magnetica in Melbourne this weekend so Bullock was the logical replacement.

“Aaron’s had a couple of rides on her for a couple of wins and he was pretty keen to go down and ride her,’’ Lane said.

“She’s come on, ideally you’d love to have drawn inside six or seven and been able to lob outside lead or the one-one.”

Interestingly, Oakfield Jupiter’s first two wins came over the 1000m scamper and Lane said it speaks a lot to how she’s matured that she was able to be so strong at the end of 1200m first-up.

He feels that gives her a good platform to extend out slightly in distance.

“She’s a better mare this time in than last time in,’’ he said.

“In her first prep she was very sharp whereas she’s calmed right down this prep and her trials showed that, she was happy to relax and run through the line.

Oakfield Jupiter wins at Randwick on October 25

“I think she was impressive enough considering she was first-up at 1200m. She’d had a couple of trials but never raced at 1200m before and looked to be strong through the line.

“The 1300m isn’t too much of an issue provided she can get a nice run from the gate.”

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