Bigger Assignments Await Devine Chops After Dubbo (Monday)

One of the more promising and untapped sprinters in country NSW is set to claim the opening Heat of the Summer Sprint Series at Monday's feature Dubbo meeting.

In what is expected to be a very competitive and well attended summer meeting, lightly raced three-year-old Devine Chops ($2.50 favourite on TAB) can play his part in a potentially big day for leading home track trainer Clint Lundholm.

A three-year-old son of Group 1 Randwick winner Invader, Devine Chops reloads 18 days after scoring a dominant front-running maiden win at Orange in his first outing since being beaten on debut as a hot favourite at Coonamble last March.

Given plenty of work and educational time since, Devine Chops immediately signalled his talent upon resumption, controlling the race and zipping away to win by more than three lengths with plenty in hand.

Connections then set their sights on the first of three Summer Sprint Series Heats run at home at Benchmark 58 level.

With a long list of owners, Devine Chops will likely be targeted for feature country sprints, or even a quickfire visit to a TAB Highway in the city, if all goes to plan at Dubbo from a suitably low draw.

The main challenge is likely to come from improving four-year-old Apollo Star ($5) from the Brett Thompson stable who has been close-up in two runs since a dominant first-up Class 1 win at Dubbo in early November.

The Lundholm yard is likely to saddle up two other longer-priced mares in the Sprint Series Heat, resuming Sin City Belle ($21) and Tells Tales ($26) fourth-up.

Again he and rival local trainer Brett Robb are eyeing off a big return, the latter with progressive Rothgate ($3.50) in a Class 1 & Maiden Plate over a mile; and underrated three-year-old Wasted Days ($7.50) in a Class 1 Hcp over 1100m.

Robb has had a very impressive eight winners from his last 28 runners, while Lundholm has returned five winners from his last 30.


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