Queanbeyan trainer Paul Facoory is facing a pleasant but tricky decision this week, weighing up whether to run his promising mare Party It Down at her home track or take a shot at a TAB Highway race at Randwick.
The Highway or Home Track Dilemma
The four-year-old mare is entered for both the Benchmark 58 Handicap over 1460 metres at Queanbeyan on Thursday, December 18, 2025, and for a TAB Highway event at Randwick this weekend. At Queanbeyan, she has drawn ideally in barrier four. For the Randwick race, she is currently the first emergency but is considered likely to gain a start.
With just one victory from seven career starts, Party It Down's record doesn't yet reflect her ability, according to her trainer. Facoory is convinced she possesses the talent to be competitive at the coveted Highway level, a series designed for country-trained horses.
"I think that was close to Highway form and with the right run in a Highway, I'm sure this mare will be very competitive whichever way she goes," Facoory stated.
Strong Form Lines Point to Ability
The mare's recent performances support her trainer's confidence. First-up this preparation, she was a desperately unlucky third behind Rubi Air, a race Facoory believes she should have won.
She then returned from a brief let-up on November 23 at Canberra, finishing a closing fifth behind Stormbringer in a Benchmark 60 over 1300 metres. Jockey Molly Bourke reported that with another 50 metres, Party It Down would have been in the finish.
The form from that Canberra race has proven exceptionally strong. The winner, Stormbringer, subsequently ran well in a Highway event. Meanwhile, the horses that finished third and fourth, Neeson and Breakaway Week, have both won their next starts.
Facoory's Strong Queanbeyan Team
Even if Party It Down is saved for the Randwick adventure, Facoory will saddle a powerful team at his home track meeting. He is particularly bullish about the chances of Aquilino in the Maiden Plate (1460m).
"He's not far away from a win. He's a very nice horse and is going to develop into a quality animal," Facoory said of Aquilino, who has placed in his last two starts. "I think he is going to be very hard to beat."
Stablemate Delago Serg also contests the maiden and is expected to run well fresh up, with the trainer noting the gelding has matured significantly since his last preparation.
In the Benchmark 58 Handicap (1200m), Anthracia is another key runner for the stable. Facoory dismissed her last-start ninth, attributing it to a poor draw, and expects her to be very competitive back on her favoured home track.
Davies Seeks Change of Fortune with Leantothemoon
Meanwhile, local trainer Angela Davies is hoping for a reversal of luck with her mare Leantothemoon in the Midway Class 1 Handicap (1200m). The horse has been plagued by terrible luck in three runs this preparation, including being caught wide and repeatedly held up for clear running.
"She has had no luck at all this preparation and she definitely should have won last start. Far out she was unlucky," Davies exclaimed. The trainer has engaged top jockey Tommy Berry for the first time, hoping he can provide the winning steer.
Davies will also start Vinniro in the same race, a former Peter Snowden-trained galloper who showed promise with a fast-finishing fifth first-up for his new stable on December 4 at Gosford.
