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By John Curtis

After drawing the outside barrier at Hawkesbury, trainer Blake Ryan will reply on a couple of “girls” he considers can race well in the Pioneer Services F & M Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m) on Thursday.

Barrier 11 (of 11) skittled Blake Ryan’s hopes of producing recent acquisition Silk Lace for her debut at home tomorrow with the Hawkesbury trainer withdrawing the three-year-old filly from the Irresistible Pools & Spas Provincial Maiden Plate (1100m).

“No point asking her to try to win her first start from that draw,” Ryan said.

Missie Lee (Jay Ford) heads to the gates at Gosford. Image by Bradley Photographers

“She is only small, and we’ll wait for the Queanbeyan Cup meeting on Friday in a 1000m Maiden Plate (she drew gate one).”

Tim Clark rides another Ryan newcomer Baby Hazel ($31 on TAB), and stable apprentice Emma Ly has the mount on Missie Lee.

“Baby Hazel came from Victoria where she won two (at Benalla and Bendigo earlier this year) of her 11 starts,” Ryan said.

“Obviously going the reverse way is a query, but I don’t feel she is a $30 chance.

“You know what you get with Missie Lee ($17). She tries her heart out every time, and has been placed at the provincials at her last two starts.”

Not surprisingly, Ryan’s home track has been his most successful. Nine of his 46 career victories have been achieved there.

Hawkesbury also has been a good source of winners for Group 1-winning Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle, who tallies 23 there (second only at the provincials to his home track).

He takes three horses – Tetsu Belle ($4.40), Just Response ($2.30 favourite) and Iron Fury ($18) - to tomorrow’s meeting, looking to add to that number.

Doyle’s most successful jockey Ash Morgan (65 winners for him) rides Tetsu Belle (Provincial Maiden Plate, 1100m) and Just Response (Elite Sand & Soil Class 1 Handicap, 1300m).

Stable apprentice Shannen Llewellyn partners Iron Fury who will race with a tongue tie in the Clarendon Tavern CG&E Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m).

“Just Response is our best chance at the meeting,” Doyle’s racing manager David Dyson said this morning.

“He had raced only three times and stepped up from being beaten first-up at Scone by a good horse (Regal Problem, who has since won again) by breaking through in a Maiden Plate (1200m) at Gosford on November 11.

“Just Response was dominant that day, has a high cruising speed and from the rails draw at Hawkesbury should be hard to beat again.

“Tetsu Belle joined our team after three unplaced runs in Victoria, and has had two nice trials for Nathan (won on the Beaumont track last month and then second at Wyong a fortnight ago).

“You can never be sure how they will handle the reverse way first time, but it didn’t appear to be an issue in her recent trials.”

“Iron Fury (another ex-Victorian) was runner-up on the Beaumont Track when resuming, and then it was a messy race when fourth with a big weight at Port Macquarie,” Dyson said.

“He is coming back to provincial grade, but there wasn’t another suitable race and he has drawn an inside gate and isn’t without a chance.”

The rail is 2m out from the 1100m to 450m, and in the TRUE position for the remainder of the circuit.

Course manager Digby Nuthall at 7.30 this morning posted a Soft 5 rating, with an upgrade certainly on the cards given the warm weather, for the seven-race card which begins at 1.50pm.

Hawkesbury recorded 10mm of rain in the past seven days, but nothing in the preceding 24 hours. A total of 20mm of irrigation has been put on the track in the last week, including 3mm in the previous 24 hours.

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