Daniel and Ben Pearce will travel to the great southern today to saddle-up four leading chances at Mt Barker.
Three of the brothers’ four runners are pre-post favourites and look to be suited by a drop in grade from recent starts.
Talented four-year-old Time To Hunt ($1.34) looks very hard to beat in the opening event on the seven-race card, the George Toovey Handicap (1850m), despite having to lump 60kg.
The Henrythenavigator gelding finished a nose second to Ruling Angel at Ascot in his most recent start and has further metropolitan form lines prior to that.
Jarrad Noske retains the mount aboard Time To Hunt and the pair will jump from the outside barrier in only a five-horse field.
The Pearce stable are hoping Flying Pegasus mare Hashtag ($3.90) can seek revenge in the Paddy Knapp Handicap (1850m) after being first past the post at Northam eight days ago before losing the race in the stewards room moments later.
A protest was lodged by the connections of rival Special Delivery and stewards subsequently overturned the placings due to alleged interference over the final stages of the race.
The seven-year-old will race beyond 1600m for the first time in her 31-start career today, however, she has been racing consistently with runner-up finishes at two of her past three starts and will again be piloted by Noske.
Planet Five three-year-old Paradise Square ($1.95) will have his first start for 72 days in the Steve and Coralie Caporn Maiden (1100m) and was tuned up with a solid Bunbury trial performance on November 17 when finishing strongly from the tail of the field.
He looks to have found the easiest race of his five-start career to date and rates as the horse to beat with Noske aboard.
Mega Minx ($2.80) also appears hard-to-beat in the Trevor Allison Handicap (1100m) after a narrow second-place finish to Southern Tern at Narrogin on November 24.
The Oratorio four-year-old led throughout and looked the winner turning for home before tiring over the concluding stages of the 1190m event and being overrun in the shadows of the post.
The Pearce stable expect her to appreciate dropping back to 1100m today and are confident of another forward showing.
Noske will ride Mega Minx for the first time in her 11-start career.
Pearce Racing have a big weekend ahead with Star three-year-old colt Money Maher taking part in Saturday’s $1 million Group One Magic Millions Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at Ascot.
The stable also have last-start winner Street Fury and Pushin’ Shapes engaged.