The Parkes Cup and Mudgee Mug runner-up will begin a new preparation at Orange in the JJ Gavin Benchmark 66 Handicap (1300 metres).

The Sebring mare carries a handicapper's rating of 72 into the meeting, which means a weight increase hits the Ryans' runner hard.

The Bathurst trainers will be relying on their mare's class to outshine the rest of the field when she carries 62kg against seven other horses.

Annecy has never raced with that much weight on her back across her 21 career starts.

The closest she's come to doing so was in a win at Dubbo in April when she had to bear 60.5kg in a benchmark 55 event.

Annecy has made a rise through the ratings since then and currently sits at a rating often shared by some of the Central West's top performing horses.

The question is whether her talent can overcome the handicapper's intervention.

Andrew Ryan opted not to save weight by using an apprentice jockey, keeping regular rider Eleanor Webster-Hawes on the mare.

“Annecy was ready to start off and this was the most suitable race for her,” he said.

“Normally people would consider claiming when you’ve got 62kg but she’s not an apprentice’s horse.

“She’s a bit of a tricky mare but El knows her so well and what she’s like.”

Annecy’s previous preparation was short lived.

After a solid trial she went to the Mudgee Mug and came up just a head shy of victory.

Annecy then took on the $60,000 Dubbo Cup where she was touted as one of the leading contenders.

A rough race left her 13^th and with a need to spend more time in the paddock.

Ryan is hopeful this preparation will be both longer and more fulfilling.

“She got into a squeeze early in the Dubbo Cup and came out of that with quite a few niggling muscle injuries so we had to give her some time off,” he said.

“It’s just one of those things where you have to put it all together and do what you think is the right thing. This was the most suitable race and the fact that she’s got all that weight is something you can’t do much about.

“She’s not eligible for the Highway Handicap races but she’s a mare who is up to the level of the country cups. There’s a few of them coming along now so if she races well on Saturday then we might have a look at a few of them.”

Orange’s meeting is low on Bathurst trained chances.

Peter Stanley fields the only two other Bathurst hopes with Narrow Neck Nelson and Skygge.

Racing gets underway from 1.43pm.