Newcastle Miss drops back to country grade today and looks perfectly placed to grab her third career win.

The four-year-old mare trained by Alan Scorse will line up in the Vintage Ginger Headwear Class 2 Handicap (1450m) at Muswellbrook, out to build on her impressive provincial win at Newcastle two runs back.

That performance, on a wet track, yielded a weight-adjusted Timeform rating of 78, a performance which puts her clear of today’s opposition.

Following that performance she was beaten five lengths at Randwick on November 29 in a no-metro-win handicap over 1300m.

In fairness she settled too far back and only whacked away coming for home against a much higher class of horses.

Lucky News won that race finishing a nose clear of Two Blue, who came out last Saturday and finished just half a length behind the above-average Miniature.

The strength of Lucky News’s win was further enhanced on Friday last week when third placegetter Darci Drama won easily in Benchmark 75 grade at Canterbury over 1550m.

Two things in particular point strongly to Newcastle Miss this afternoon - the significant drop back in class, and the return of the in-form Robert Thompson to the saddle.

It looks a winning combination on paper, and with a bit of rain around Newcastle Miss might just get conditions to suit.

She’s the one to beat.

Husswick looks the clear danger if he can bounce back from an ordinary showing at Scone three weeks ago.

He put a couple of wins together before pulling up with an elevated heart rate and a cough when 7.2L away in Benchmark 55 grade at Scone last month.

Prior to that he’d won a maiden at Coonamble then proven too strong at this track running to a weight-adjusted Timeform figure of 75.

If he gets back to that mark today he’ll be well in the hunt to return to winning ways.

Paul Perry’s Pell is another one looking to bounce back from a last-start flop.

She failed to beat a runner home at Wyong in Benchmark 60 grade 18 days ago but was wide throughout and never had a chance.

Prior to that she ran second over the mile at Quirindi after winning a race at this track back in November.

She has won twice in three runs here and this is probably her best trip.

Don’t be shocked to see her bounce right back to form in this one.