Dale hoping purple patch continues with trio of Wagga starters

Leading Canberra trainer Matthew Dale is out to continue one of the best strike-rate periods of his career with a trio of starters in Thursday’s feature Wagga meeting.

Across a showcase card boasting big fields and wide-open betting, Dale saddles up a strong team, punctuated by a couple of emerging gallopers eyeing off much bigger targets deep into spring.

Canberra trainer Matt Dale is hoping the winners keep coming at Wagga.Credit:Getty

Behind an impressive 16 winners from his last 45 runners at nine different tracks, including a recent Benchmark 78 Saturday winner at Randwick, the stable returns to one of its higher strike-rate venues in country NSW.

In consecutive meetings at Wagga back in June, the Dale yard kicked home winning doubles from Maiden class up to BM 84 level.

And this time, leading his assault on a rain-hit likely Heavy 10 surface is a promising mare on debut in a Maiden Plate for the older sprinters to close the meeting.

Sheila, a four-year-old by the 2014 Cox Plate winner Adelaide and out of a Thorn Park mare who ironically claimed her fifth and final win at Wagga seven years ago, is primed behind an impressive heavy track trial win at Goulburn.

Earlier, the stable has Choisir mare Hauteur third-up in a modest Class 3 Hcp over 1200m for her first real test in near bottomless ground.

On a quick back-up, Hauteur was outclassed at home behind rival four-year-old Kelvedon Road last Friday in a stronger BM 70 Federal, and will find this company much more to her liking.

Then in perhaps the strongest and toughest race of the day – Open Hcp (1200m) across a seasoned sprint field which boasts a combined 73 wins between them – Dale saddles up smart six-year-old mare Calescent second-up, and gunning for consecutive wins.

Calescent trailed the speed before digging in late to win a BM 68 at Hawkesbury 16 days ago, and the stable had no hesitation in ending her south to a track where she has a 50 percent winning strike rate from four starts.

With nine career wins overall from 31 outings, Calescent has always saved her best for rain-affected going and can be set for a metropolitan start if she fires again in the Riverina.

Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au.

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