By Glenn Davis
Olivia Cairns is hoping to add another North Queensland feature to her trophy cabinet when she attempts to claim her first Newmarket Handicap with Last Chance in Cairns on Saturday.
The Mackay-based Cairns has won a host of northern features including the “big three” in Townsville - the Cleveland Bay, Townsville Cup and Parry Nissan.
However, the Newmarket Handicap in Cairns is one of the few north Queensland features to elude her.
“I’ve won the Cairns Cup, Cairns Amateur Cup and the Cairns Lightning but I’m yet to win the Cairns Newmarket,” Cairns said.
Cairns will get her best chance yet of claiming the Newmarket over 1300 metres after topweight Last Chance drew perfectly in barrier three.
Last Chance is coming off a last start seventh to Master Jamie in the Cleveland Bay Handicap in Townsville on August 7.
The six-year-old previously finished third to Right Or Wrong in the Newmarket Handicap in Mackay which followed his brilliant win in the Rockhampton Newmarket last month.
“This is the best barrier he’s had all year,” Cairns said.
“I thought his last run in the Cleveland Bay was a great run on a track I considered biased.
“He got further back than we wanted but he made up good ground late.”