A final chance to claim rich bonuses has drawn Adelaide trainer Lloyd Kennewell across the border to run a pair of three-year-olds at Caulfield on Saturday.
Kennewell will start speedy filly Thiamandi in the Cove Hotel Handicap (1100m) and Baligari in the Sportingbet.com.au Handicap (1400m) with both horses in line for $30,000 Super VOBIS windfalls should they win their respective $80,000 assignments.
Thiamandi and Baligari will be ineligible for the Super VOBIS scheme once they turn four on August 1, prompting the young trainer to send the pair to Melbourne.
Both Thiamandi and Baligari are last-start winners on the Morphettville Parks track with the latter impressing Kennewell with the ease of his June 21 success over 1400m, which followed a solid effort at Moonee Valley a fortnight earlier.
"It was his best win and possibly the best run of his career," Kennewell said.
"He won by three (lengths) but he could have won by further had he got out earlier."
Kennewell said a Caulfield win would reinforce his belief Baligari was capable of taking out a restricted race during the Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington.
The trainer said Baligari would head out for a spell on Monday irrespective of his performance at Caulfield.
Joe Bowditch will travel to Melbourne to ride Baligari as well as Thiamandi.
Bowditch has partnered Thiamandi in all four of her wins, which prompted Kennewell to keep the experienced rider aboard the filly for the Caulfield race despite her 59kg handicap.
Thiamandi carried 54kg to victory against older horses over 1000m last Saturday but Kennewell said engaging a claiming apprentice would not help the speedster's chances.
"We would have liked to have claimed but she just doesn't travel as freely for apprentices as she does for Joe," Kennewell said.
"She's really good on the quick back-up and I've actually planned to back her up here."