Early TAB Eureka watch on Menangle

SLOT holders in the world’s richest race, the $2.1mil TAB Eureka, will be glued to some of the major races at Menangle on Saturday night.

With just one locked-in so far – Never Ending for Soho Standardbreds – nine slot holders still need to find their horse.

And so many of the brightest TAB Eureka prospects, headed by early favourite Frankie Ferocious (by Captaintreacherous), strut their stuff at Menangle this weekend.

The Queensland-owned Frankie Ferocious has been stunning winning both starts for Jason Grimson and is vying for favouritism in an epic $250,000 Group 1 Chariots Of Fire.

 The Queensland-owned Frankie Ferocious. PHOTO: Stuart McCormick

Bathurst’s latest pin-up pacer, Nathan Turnbull’s, Better Be The Best (Shoobees Place), is another major Chariots contender also being set for the TAB Eureka.

Better Be The Best made it 18 wins from just 25 starts when he paced a 1min49.8sec mile to win the Paleface Adios Sprint at Menangle last Saturday night.

In fact, six of the 10 Chariots Of Fire runners are headed towards the TAB Eureka at Menangle on September 7.

The others are Captains Knock (Captaintreacherous), Sure Thing Captain (Captaintreacherous), Captain Hammerhead (Captaintreacherous) and Our Vinnie (Vincent).

Many of the three-year-olds across Saturday night’s three NSW Derby heats are also TAB Eureka eligible.

The most interesting is the Mark and Nathan Purdon-trained We Walk By Faith, who will make his Aussie debut after seven NZ runs for four wins and two seconds.

We Walk By Faith, bred by the Judd family, was bought by Purdon for $70,000 at the 2022 Nutrien Sydney sale. He’s by Bettors Delight out of Wicked Nights.

Interest to run three-year-olds or four-year-old mares in the TAB Eureka should increase with confirmation the distance for the race has been reduced from 2400m to 2300m.

It is widely regarded that inside draws are no advantage from the 2400m starting point, but much better suited at 2300m.

Under the conditions of the TAB Eureka, three-year-olds and four-year-old mares get preferential barrier draws.