A carefully mapped out plan with veteran Marksfield can cement trainer Matt Kropp’s best season.
Kropp has Marksfield in Saturday’s $125,000 Battle Of The Bush Final at Eagle Farm and has left nothing to chance with the gelding’s preparation.
He took Marksfield to Bundaberg in early May to win the first of the 16 heats for the Battle Of The Bush series.
“It was a bit of a trip to Bundaberg from Toowoomba but it worked out the way we wanted,” Kropp said.
“It was good for him to be the first to qualify because we could prepare him the way we wanted for the final.”
Marksfield had his final hit-out for Saturday when third at Goondiwindi three weeks ago.
“He drops three kilos in weight and as the winner of 12 races he isn’t badly off at the weights,” Kropp said.
Veteran jockey Gary Geran who has clocked up hundreds of kilometres to ride Marksfield lately, has retained the ride.
Kropp has had a good season which was highlighted with his double of Rosie Posie and Spirit’s Choice at Ipswich last Saturday.
He has also had plenty of success with Trusty Lad who won the Three-Year-Old Stayers’ Final.
Kropp has prepared 38 winners this season to be firmly entrenched in the state’s top 20 trainers on the premiership list.
“We have some nice young horses who have performed well,” he said.