RYAN HOPING TO HAVE AN “IMPACT” WITH MAIDEN PMC REPRESENTATIVE

BLAKE Ryan has never had a runner in the Provincial-Midway Championships – and it wasn’t on the cards that would change this year either.

However, the Hawkesbury trainer is ready to break his duck and “have a crack” with Strawberry Impact in Saturday’s fifth Qualifier at Kembla Grange.

The first two placegetters in the 1400m event for eligible provincial-trained horses only will join eight others already guaranteed spots – courtesy of the first four Qualifiers at Hawkesbury (twice), Newcastle and Gosford - in the $1m Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 11.

Provincial gun Keagan Latham will ride the ultra consistent Strawberry Impact, who resumes from a spell after placing at five of his six starts last preparation.

“I wasn’t planning to have my first runner in the series this year, but it’s just the way things have panned out,” Ryan said today.

“Strawberry Impact is going to be better suited when he gets up over more ground to 2000m.

STRAWBERRY IMPACT FOLLOWING HIS KEMBLA WIN IN MARCH 25

“But he is ready to kick off and Saturday’s race over 1400m on a big track came into the picture.

“Strawberry Impact has a benchmark rating of 65, and would get 62kg in a Class 1 Handicap.

“He has been a victim of his consistency, being placed three times in a row at Saturday metropolitan meetings last time in work.

“Whilst he isn’t well placed under the conditions of the series (Class 5 Plates), it’s a capacity field on Saturday, and hopefully there will be good speed to enable him to finish off well.

“We’ll have a crack anyway, and obviously getting a placing would be a bonus.

“Should he finish in the first two, it would be a tremendous thrill to have a runner in the PMC Final in a few weeks.”

Ryan also has Baby Hazel starting at Kembla Grange, as well as striving to secure black type for his good mare Lady Extreme at the Golden Slipper Stakes meeting at Rosehill Gardens.

Baby Hazel (Louise Day) lines up in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1300m) against her own sex, having strung together minor placings at her last three appearances.

“She has done well at all four starts since coming from Melbourne, but had a setback and as a result hasn’t raced since late January,” Ryan said.

“Baby Hazel will race in a tongue control and lugging bit for the first time.”

Ryan is looking forward to taking Lady Extreme (Jay Ford) back to the races for the Group 3 Birthday Card Stakes (1200m) against her own sex at Rosehill.

“Finally she has drawn a good barrier, and some more rain would certainly help her chances,” he said.

“Lady Extreme loves Rosehill; her last three wins have all been there.

“She ran a cracking first-up fifth in a 1000m Benchmark 94 Handicap at Randwick on February 7, and can be forgiven her next unplaced run there in the Group 3 Wenona Girl (1200m) on March 7.

“They dawdled up front, and it was impossible to make ground from where she was,” Ryan said.

“She is such a genuine mare that I’m sure she will run well on Saturday.”

Whilst Lady Extreme remains in the TAB.com.au market at $15 for the Provincial-Midway Final, Ryan has once more confirmed that she will not attempt to qualify.

“It was never our intention to run in the series,” he said. “Our goal is to try to get some black type with her.”

Yesterday’s seven-race Gosford program meeting was called off after further heavy rain hit the track during the morning.

“We have had a lot of rain here recently,” racecourse manager Steve Scollard said.

STORY JOHN CURTIS, MARCH 20, 2026 - PICS BRADLEY PHOTOS