Breeding will ensure there will be more midweek interest than usual when unraced two-year-old Highward makes his debut at Canterbury on Wednesday.

The High Chaparral youngster, raced by prominent Queensland owners Graham and Linda Huddy, steps out in Theraces.com.au Handicap with genuine expectations because of his pedigree.

The Huddys raced $3.2 million earner Shoot Out and Highward is a full-brother to the retired Australian Derby winner and weight-for-age star.

Trained by Chris Waller, who guided the latter half of Shoot Out’s career, Highward makes his first trip to the races after two barrier trials.

Shoot Out won his first two starts, including the Group Two Sires’ Produce Stakes at Eagle Farm, before going on to be one of Australia’s best racehorses.

There will be another strong Queensland connection at Wednesday’s meeting, thanks to the Gold Coast-trained mare Tracey’s Angel.

As Sydney horses make their to Brisbane for the Queensland winter carnival, trainer Tracey Wolfgram has been forced to head the opposite way.

Desperate to find a race to keep the staying mare Tracey Angel’s in competitive form, Wolfgram has targeted the Hyland Race Colours Handicap.

“She’s not up to that level of races that we are getting at the moment with the winter carnival on back home,” Wolfgram said.

“And I’m struggling to find distance races to put her in where she wouldn’t be running into carnival horses.”

Tracey’s Angel ran out of her grade and earned some unexpected black type with her minor placing to Angel Of Mercy in the Listed Members’ Cup at Eagle Farm last month.

The four-year-old filled the same placing in an 1800-metre Sunshine Coast race at her next start but the horses which finished ahead of her – Cruz By and Sister Souss – confirmed Wolfgram’s plans to look for easier races.

“She ran into two fillies that day who are going to the Queensland Oaks,” Wolfgram said.

Tracey’s Angel takes on a field of fillies and mares at Canterbury with an inside draw providing some compensation for the trainer’s son Travis unable to claim his full 3kg allowance.

Regarded as one of Queensland’s most promising junior riders, Travis will ride Tracey’s Angel at 53.5kg – 0.5kg below the minimum.