Stingray and Punga to run in series final

Great Southern gallopers Lady Stingray and Little Punga will represent the region in Saturday’s $70,000 SkyRacing.Tv Provincial Championship Series Final (1400m) at Ascot, while Boxonlucy will wait to see if she gets a start.

The final of the provincial series will be the feature race at the eight-race card at Ascot on Saturday, with three Great Southern horses in the final acceptances.

The Des Attwell-trained Lady Stingray finished second in Mt Barker’s heat of the series and has drawn ideally in barrier four for the final.

Tayla Stone will take the mount on the five-year-old mare, a winner at four of her 23 starts, which will carry the minimum 55kg in the race. In March, Little Punga claimed the Albany heat of the series for small-scale trainer Mark Westthorp.

The six-year-old was placed twice over 1500m at his next two starts and will have the services of Mollie Clark from gate 14, also carrying 55kg.

Leading Albany trainer Steve Wolfe will have to wait to find out if his mare Boxonlucy gains a start in the final, listed as the only emergency in the field of 16.

Boxonlucy was fifth behind Little Punga in the local heat and won her next start over 1600m.

Highly rated youngster Red Can Man will be out to improve on his first-up third last Saturday when the two-year-old contests this Saturday’s 2YO race over 1300m for Wolfe.

Red Can Man peeled off the quickest final 600m sectional last week in the race over 1100m.

Other local gallopers to run at Ascot on Saturday are Hostwin Pegasus, Sir Snugalot, One Point Lady and Candlelight Star.