BY TOM BARBER - Daily Liberal 5 May 2023

Dar Lunn will be one of three local chances in the running to take out the main feature at Dubbo Turf Club's first-ever Queen of the West race day.

Saturday will see the club host the Queen of the West race day, an eight-race program which is headlined by the Arrowfield Queen of the West Benchmark 74 Handicap (1200m).

Lunn along with Clint Lundholm and Brett Robb will fly the flag for Dubbo trainers while the likes of Damien Lane and Dean Mirfin will also have runners.

Lunn's Praline will jump out of barrier 11 and the trainer is upbeat about his chances of scoring a win from the outside gate.

"It probably won't matter, we will get back in for the 1200m anyway," he said.

"She'll cross them and get back to midfield or maybe even a bit further back.

"I gave her a couple of weeks between runs just to try and keep her a bit fresh."

A winner four starts ago at Mudgee, Praline has been in somewhat lean form since including last start at Narromine on April 20.

But with apprentice jockey Madeline Owen in the saddle, Lunn believes his mare will enjoy having the former on board.

"She goes alright, she's rode a winner for me before so I thought I'd throw her on," he said.

"She's a nice girl.

"Especially with the claim, she gets in not too bad considering."

A brand-new event, with an enticing prize on the line, the winning connections of the Queen of the West receive a nomination to Castelvecchio, the dual Group 1 winner and third year stallion standing at Arrowfield Stud.

Off the track, the Mercedes-Benz marquee has been sold out for weeks now and Lunn believes things are looking like a big day of racing is ahead on Saturday.

"It is exciting, it's good for the club and good for Dubbo I think," he said.

"It should be a really good day.

"I think we probably get a lot younger crowd out here than we normally do so that will be good."

Robb's D'Arpano and Majority will both represent the Country Championships-winning trainer while Lundholm has Transplant starting out of barrier six.

Former Dubbo trainer Kody Nestor will be back in the saddle at his former home track, riding Bedtime Stories for Wyong's Brett Partelle.

The Queen of the West will jump at 3:36pm.