MOUNT Isa's dual licensee Jason Babarovich is poised for a hectic few days behind the wheel and in the saddle.
Babarovich, the caretaker at the Mt Isa Race Club, mixes riding and training five horses and on June 13 will fulfill a few engagements eight hours away from home.
He has rides in five of the races at the Barcaldine meeting, three of them on horses from his stable, and another two for his old boss, Hall of Famer Charlie Prow.
Babarovich will be aboard Hot Chocolate in the Class B Handicap (1210 metres) and Turkey Beach in the Open (1310m) for the Blackall-based Prow.
As well he will be riding five-year-old Bold Sam (Al Samer-Gudwill) in the QTIS Benchmark 55 Handicap (1010m), Grey Artemis (Top Echelon-Lunar Rose) in the Maiden Plate (1210m) and Ansinna (Bel Esprit-Cranachan) in the Class 6 Plate (1110m).
Bold Sam is in good touch with a Mt Isa win on March 14 and four runs later followed up with a tidy second under similar conditions there on June 6.
Babarovich is aware the distance is short of Bold Sam's best.
A winner five times in events at 1200m or 1400m, Bold Sam has banked more than $80,000 in prizemoney.
"I'm not conceding anything," Babarovich, once based in Brisbane, said.
"Aquagem looks the likely leader and if I can get on his back early he will know we're in the race. As good as Aquagem might be, he won't want to be stopping because Bold Sam will be flying home."
Three-year-old Grey Artemis joined the Babarovich stable earlier this year after starting out with Natalie McCall on the Sunshine Coast.
She has raced on three occasions for the Babarovich stable, running unplaced each time.
"She is a sister to one we have that has won four or five races and the owners were happy to take her on," Babarovich said.
"Her runs have not been all that bad."
Ansinna, winner of $110,259 from six victories and 16 placings, is one of the better performers in training in Mt Isa and has earned equal topweight of 62kg for his appointment.
Ansinna is chasing a winning hat trick following consecutive triumphs at Mt Isa on May 9 and 23 when he shouldered 60kg on either occasion.
"I am enjoying life up here," Babarovich said. "I came up three years ago to be the caretaker at the track after a couple of years with Charlie Prow and the stable is full. As a dual licensee I can only have five horses in work. I could get more but I would have to give up riding."
Enterprise Grand (Rothesay-Granada) will try to give his Lyndhurst Stud-based sire another boost in the Open Plate (1200m) at Gayndah on June 13. A week ago Rothfire, another son of Rothesay, made a one act affair of the Group 1 JJ Atkins Stakes (1400m) in Brisbane.
While the Gayndah Open is a far cry from that lofty, $350,000 event at Eagle Farm, victory would cap a neat week for the Rothesay.
Trained in Toowoomba by Matt Kropp after a transfer from the Brisbane stable of Michael Lakey, Enterprise Grand has been placed in each run for his new stable.
With Hannah Phillips riding he ran third in Roma on April 18 before Brendon Newport took over and finished second in Bundaberg on May 5. At his most recent start Enterprise Grand finished second on June 2 in Dalby with Les Tilley in the saddle.
Gary Geran has the mount this time.
In Rockhampton, jockey Chris Whiteley hopes to maintain winning momentum after a treble in Cairns on June 11. He rides Princess Cartier (race 2), Parisian Tycoon (4), Heyington (5), Smug Satisfaction (6), Ziggi Rocks (7) and Kings County (8) at Callaghan Park.
Justin Stanley has rides on Like Melania for trainer Clinton Thompson in the Kennas Maiden (1100m), Mad Irish Tycoon in the Red Lion Hotel (1050m) for the Tom Button stable and John Wigginton's pair All Eez (Class 6 Plate 1200) and Diamond Account (Benchmark 58 Handicap 1400m).