Jack eyeing a double at Penrith

AS THE 2022 New South Wales Breeders’ Challenge series draws to a close, the attention will turn to the upcoming summer racing calendar at many regional centres.

The Breeders Challenge for juvenile pacers has again proven successful and will conclude with the Regional finals at Wagga and Newcastle on December 9.

The series kicked off in September and produced some fairytale stories in the respective finals, and also proved the sport is in a healthy position.

Tonight, Penrith will host regional qualifying heats of the reginal series for three-year-olds, two for the fillies and one for colts and geldings.

Talented young reinsman Jack Callaghan has two good drives in the heats, combining with trainer Belinda McCarthy with the filly Halsey Nicole in Race 6 and colt Muscle Bart in Race 7.

Callaghan currently sits in second spot on the state’s drivers’ premiership table, 21 wins in arrears of Cameron Hart.

And Callaghan concedes that with only five weeks of the 2022 season remaining he has a mountain to climb to eat into Hart’s unassailable lead.

With six drives at Penrith tonight, Callaghan is hoping he can at least put a dent in the margin and believes Halsey Nicole and Muscle Bart, who are both well fancied in the betting markets, can win.

“Both these youngsters appear to have great chances,” said Callaghan.

“Unfortunately, they have both drawn off the back line, but that could play in our favour as they are the only ones drawn on the second tier in the seven-horse fields.”

It has been a really good season for Muscle Bart, who ran third behind Leap To Fame in the Queensland Derby and has not been far away against the best of his age group throughout the Breeders Challenge series.

His runs earlier this year were super and this campaign he has been right up there with the best,” said Callaghan.

“I feel that if he gets the right run tonight, he will be winning.

“There are some smart ones drawn on the front row but hopefully his class will shine through.

“Halsey Nicole was runner-up in her first four race starts before having no luck last time out at Menangle.”

It is a bumper 10-race program at Penrith that gets underway at 6:19pm with the Download The TAB App Pace.

• MICK DUMESNY