BET Bet trainer Ray Cross has already made one successful trip to Ballarat this week.
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He hopes he can make another on Saturday when his developing two-year-old trotter Alfie Always lines up in the $30,000 Group 2 Tatlow Stakes (2200m).
Cross admits he has no great expectations with the son of Yankee Spider and Ima Thrill Seeker, who is the outsider of the 12-horse field, and is racing in reasonable fashion without placing in his last eight starts.
The veteran trainer would be satisfied with any improvement, or a return to the form which saw the gelding finish top-three in four of his five race starts in June/July.
"We nominated him for Kilmore on Friday night and we put him in the Tatlow on Saturday, but we never expected to get a run," said Cross, who scored a win at Ballarat on Wednesday night with Countess Chiron.
"But they did the field on prizemoney and he got on.
"He' a nice trotter and has being going okay, but he will need a little bit more time. He's not lifting at the end of his races.
"He's knocked on the door a few times, but I thought he went backwards a bit there a few weeks ago.
"I was pretty pleased with his run the other night (fourth at Melton), hopefully that means he's coming good."
Alfie Always is a half-brother to his stable-mate Whos Countn, who finished second at Melton last week, and will line- up in the final race on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Cross hopes Countess Chiron's win is evidence of a more permanent return to form for the daughter of Imperial Count and Kumbya.
The four-year-old won for the first time in 13 starts this season after registering four wins and eight placings in the 2019-20 season.
"She's had a bit of a problem lately, but she is coming good," Cross said.
"When she raced as a three-year-old she won four (races) and she went 1:57, but then we turned her out and gave her a three month spell and when she came back she got really ruddy and was charging the gate.
"We've had a lot of trouble settling her. But slowly and surely she's getting back to where she was.
"Two weeks back she ran second at Maryborough, but last week she blew it and took control of the driver.
"(On Wednesday) she had Anthony Butt on her, who's a very clever driver, and she got up."
Countess Chiron will back up on Sunday at Maryborough on cup day, with Butt again on-board in the sulky.
"I'd be looking for a good run from her, she's a very strong horse," Cross said.
"While she's only pony size, she cops a lot of work. If you back her off a bit, she gets too much above herself."
McCallum in Group 3 action
Also fronting up for Group race duty on Saturday night is Lockwood South freelancer Neil McCallum, who will partner the Lachlan Prothero/Mildura trained mare Gilty Hanover in the $30,000 Make Mine Cullen (1710m).
The seven-year-old will be having only her fourth run outside Mildura in 17 starts since being sent north to Prothero, but has notched up six wins and five placings in that time.
Gilty Hanover is among a select few horses to have beaten 'The King' Bernie Winkle at Mildura over the last 18 months, having done so one each in August and September this year.
The Make Mine Cullen is a Group 3 event for mares.
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