Trainer Nick Olive is rapt with the progress of Without A Shadow who is scheduled to tackle Friday's $100,000 Country Championship Qualifier at Goulburn.

Olive selected the race as a target for Without A Shadow several months ago when he also secured an early booking for Sydney jockey Tye Angland.

The trainer was hoping to have a two-pronged attack on the event but The Waco Kid was balloted out and failed to gain a start.

However, in Without A Shadow, Olive is convinced he has a genuine contender.

"I'm probably as happy as I've ever been with her," Olive said.

"She had a good gallop Saturday morning and has ticked over well since then.

"After her spell this time she's matured, strengthened up in the body and is thicker set.

"It's a very strong heat Friday with a lot of depth but I'm more than happy with my mare."

Without A Shadow resumed with a solid fourth to Snippets Land in the Listed National Sprint at Canberra on March 8.

The mare was caught wide in the run from an outside barrier but kept coming right to the line.

"I didn't have her screwed right down first-up. I used it as a platform for the Championships," Olive said.

"She was never on the track and I thought she performed really well."

In what will be a significant week for the Canberra trainer, Olive will saddle up his first Golden Slipper runner on Saturday when Single Gaze takes her place in the $3.5 million race at Rosehill.