Contaminated will be hoping to recapture its winning form for Canberra trainer Nick Olive in the Epiroc Benchmark 66 Handicap at Towac Park on Saturday as racing returns to Orange for the first time since November.
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The five-year-old was previously owned by Bjorn Baker and picked up a hat-trick of wins in the middle of last year - one at Corowa and two in the ACT.
However, since the last win Olive has pushed the gelding out from the 1700m mark to 1900m, where he finished ninth, before paring back to a third in Bathurst over 1400m and fifth and 10th over 1600m in his two races in 2020.
The Benchmark 66 is over that same distance.
Contaminated will come up against two Dubbo-based runners in the feature, with Gary Lunn's Just On Spec firming as the favourite with a win and two third since December, with the first coming at Tamworth in nearly identical conditions to Saturday's race.
Two fifths at Bathurst and Dubbo in the six-year-old's past two starts have come over 2000m and 2200m, with the return to 1600m to suit the runner.
The Kody Nestor-trained Mr Dumont will also be running, and after running in several sprints is working back into longer lengths.
Hawksbury trainer Karren Outtrim's Dragon Shadow is another contender for the Handicap race, with three fifths in his past three starts, following two first and two thirds in his part 10.
Quayde Krogh will sit in the saddle.
Alison Smith will be representing the home contingent as Vaquero takes to his home course in the Inland Digital Class 2 Handicap.
Reward For Silence will likely go into the 1300m feature as favourite, with trainer Roy L McCabe's new gelding having two runs as part of his stable.
He's raced twice for McCabe, running seventh at Bathurst in a trial and fifth at the same venue two weeks later and two very strong trials as part of Cody Morgan's stable.
Breaking Cover has five fourths in his past seven starts, which has also included a first.
It's the first meeting at Towac Park since February 22, with thoroughbred and harness racing meets being moved to both Bathurst and Dubbo with the track taken out of action by the drought.
But, with the healthy rainfall since the New Year the track has bounced back in fine form, with Racing Orange chair Bree McMinn saying it was "amazing" how quickly the track had bounced back.
"We had another 20mm over last weekend, as well as the rain leading up to that day. It's made a huge difference," she said.
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Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
