Greg Eurell won’t mind a later than expected finish if Hardly Sweet can win at Moonee Valley.

Hardly Sweet runs in the Sweeney Estate Agents Williamstown Handicap (2500m) on Saturday at 5pm, and being Christmas Eve, Eurell was hoping to see the mare race in an earlier timeslot.

“It would have been nice if it was on a bit earlier,” Eurell said.

“I have a function to be at on Saturday and I thought I would be there at a reasonable time, but after the races on Saturday, we’re in a 5 o’clock race, I won’t be there all that early.

“I thought they might have looked after the participants a little and started the meeting a bit earlier.”

Hardly Sweet rises to benchmark 78 grade on Saturday after successfully defeating four opponents in a benchmark 64 grade race over 2400m on December 14.

Michael Dee took the mare to front that day, and she outstayed her rivals at the fourth run of the campaign.

“It was a pretty solid effort,” Eurell said.

“She did all the donkey work and still kept going and pulled up terrific, so we thought we’d go again.

“The distance won’t worry her, the back-up won’t worry her.”

And Eurell said the worse Hardly Sweet’s behaviour gets, the better she performs.

“You go into the stalls and are getting her ready to put the saddle on or the bridle on, and all she wants to do is bite you,” Eurell said.

“Her ears are back and she’s as grumpy as can be, but that’s when she’s at her best.”

Eurell believes Hardly Sweet may be capable of winning a better race than what she is up against on Saturday after scoring over 2400m at her latest effort.

He said Hardly Sweet suffered a setback early in her campaign and he had been worried whether that may have curtailed her preparation.

“I think she’s a pretty honest type of mare and now that we are at this trip, she might end up in a nice race at some point,” Eurell said.