Leroy O’Brien believes he has the right filly to secure more McLardy McShane Tontine Pacing Championship glory for the stable.
The 32-year-old trainer took out the 2023 edition with Blake Bolac and has three-year-old Rockin Gemma primed for the time-honoured feature at Terang on Tuesday.
"We won it last year with Blake Bolac off a similar sort of campaign, and I think she is just as good as him, if not a little bit better," O'Brien said.
"She is a lovely filly and she is good, (but) obviously she is a three-year-old taking on the older horses. She has been racing well, I think she will be thereabouts."
The daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven and Soho Artemis was poised to target the NSW Oaks, but illness kept her out of action.
"I took her to Sydney for a month and had a bit of bad luck with a virus and all that," he said. "She was still in work, she just never raced."
Rockin Gemma has drawn four for the $15,000 event with Ryan Duffy booked to pilot.
"I think she will just come out with it and find a spot. She won't come out too hard, I think. She is very versatile - if she has to go forward at some point, she will," he said. "I don't see why she can't come from behind at Terang.
"Terang is a nice track. She is racing well and is full of confidence."
Last year's Terang Co-Op Rural Store Tontine Trotters Championship winner Sir Eros will have to go the extra distance if he is to win a second-straight $15,000 feature.
The squaregaiter will start from a 30m handicap alongside the Matthew Craven-prepared Hautacam. Last-start winner Imperial Monarch will be the furthest back runner (40m), while Gary Donaldson's Luvski and Rebecca Morrissey's Tictok are both off 10m.