There are five meetings set to take place on Friday including at Scone where a soft 7 track is expected.

Race 3 Scone

Image Of The Sun @ 3.00

Race 7 Ipswich

Artemas @ 5.00

Race 7 Swan Hill

Simple Times @ 4.80

 Sun to shine at Scone 

The third race on the Scone card is a 2200m Benchmark 58 handicap set to take place on a soft 7 surface.

Balmierro is expected to jump as favourite for the race having placed second in two of his last three starts.

Both of those efforts have come in maiden company, including when narrowly beaten over 1600m when racing on a heavy 8 surface here last month.

Trained by John Sargent, the gelding tackles this distance for the first time and, while he rates highly, preference is for IMAGE OF THE SUN.

The four-year-old represents the Paul Messara & Leah Gavranich team and he has made three starts at this venue in the past.

Image Of The Sun has shown solid form on soft going in the past, including when breaking her maiden in a 1450m contest held on a soft 6 track at Muswellbrook in January.

The filly was beaten just over a length when recording a fourth in a 1300m Benchmark 58 handicap at this venue when racing first up this prep.

Image Of The Sun filled the same position when stepped up to 1600m for a Class 1 set weights plate contest at Tamworth subsequently.

The daughter of The Autumn Sun arrives here on the back of a third in a Benchmark 58 handicap over 1700m here last month and she looks ready for this extra distance.

 Artemas for Ipswich glory 

In Queensland they race at Ipswich with the seventh race of the day an 1100m Benchmark 60 handicap.

Tony Gollan's Perigean is expected to feature prominently in the market for the race having won at Doomben when contesting an 1110m maiden on his penultimate start.

The four-year-old went on to record a fourth, beaten just over two lengths in a Class 1 handicap held over the same distance at Rockhampton on 13th July.

While the gelding is respected in this field, barrier nine isn't ideal for a horse who has raced from the front in each of his last three starts.

With that in mind preference is for ARTEMAS who hails from the Christ Munce stable.

The five-year-old broke his maiden at the first attempt when contesting a 1000m event on the polytrack at Sunshine Coast in May 2022.

Artemas has made just four race appearances since, including when third in a five runner 1350m Benchmark 62 handicap here in October 2022.

The selection registered a good third in an 840m barrier trial in early June prior to finishing six lengths last of five in a similar contest over 1000m at the same track on 4th July.

Jag Guthmann-Chester's mount has been allocated an inside barrier for this contest and dropping back in distance he is taken to return from an absence with a victory.

 Times to resume with win 

The penultimate race at Swan Hill is a 975m Benchmark 64 handicap due to be held on a good 4 surface.

Trainer Patrick Payne has his string in great form of late with the handler boasting a 30% strike-rate (8/27) in the last 30 days.

Payne saddles SIMPLE TIMES in this contest, with the gelding having gone well first up last prep when placing third in an 1170m Benchmark 58 handicap at Wangaratta.

The pick was beaten just under two lengths when racing on a good 4 track on that occasion and duly recorded a win when racing over 1112m at Benalla next time.

That Benalla success came by a narrow margin when racing on a good 3 track in a Benchmark 58 handicap at the end of January.

Will Gordon is set to ride here and he is taken to steer his mount to victory jumping from barrier eight.