The trainer who wins the most two-year-old events for the Australian racing season will hinge on the results of races at Geelong and Kembla Grange on Tuesday.
Three trainers – John Thompson, Peter Snowden and Gai Waterhouse – are vying for the honour as the 2011-2012 season draws to a close.
Thompson and Snowden, with their stables backed by major breeding concerns, have each trained the winners of 30 two-year-old races.
Waterhouse, with her triple crown winner Pierro leading the way with six victories, is only one behind.
Thompson and Waterhouse will go head to head in the Traffic Logistics Handicap during the Australian Turf Club’s meeting at Kembla Grange on Tuesday.
Longport will carry Nathan Tinkler’s Patinack Farm colours for Thompson and Waterhouse will be represented by first-up provincial winner Celtic Sea.
Darley-backed Snowden will saddle up Sari in the Schweppes 2YO Fillies Maiden Plate at Geelong.
Snowden drew level with Thompson when Perdicaris scored at Newcastle on Saturday.
“Irrespective of what happens on the last day (of the season), John has had an outstanding season with our babies,” Patinack Farm racing manager Robyn Hartney said.
“Obviously it’s an unofficial premiership, but it would be a real feather in his cap if he could at least share the honours with someone like Peter and Gai who are benchmark trainers.”
Thompson won the first two-year-old race of the Australian season with Crown Of Coureuse at Toowoomba and he enjoyed black-type success not long after with Hussousa in the Gimcrack Stakes at Randwick.
As an owner, Tinkler has won 32 freshman races with All Too Hard’s three wins for trainer John Hawkes and his sons boosting his tally.
Hartney said the Patinack team was already looking forward to even more two-year-old success next season.
“There are some lovely yearlings by (first season sire) Murtajill in our stables,” she said.
Murtajill was a precocious young galloper who won the Breeders’ Plate at his first start before starting favourite in the 2007 Golden Slipper when fourth to Forensics.
