EIGHTEEN months of planning are on the line when the Aaron Purcell-trained Double Bluff lines up in the $100,000 Harry D Young Hurdle at Oakbank on Saturday.
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Double Bluff, the winner of three of his seven hurdle starts for Purcell, tackles six rivals in the feature hurdle race on the nine-event program.
Purcell told The Standard Double Bluff looks well suited to the 3600-metre race.
"Double Bluff gets conditions to suit him," the group one-winning trainer said.
"He likes dry tracks and he gets that on Saturday. I knew I had to have him ready for the early jumps races when the tracks are dry. He's a bit of a duffer on wet ground.
"I've had a faultless preparation with him. His hurdle win at Warrnambool last month was a bonus victory. I've had this race in mind for him for 18 months.
"It's been a long journey but I'm happy with everything leading into the race."
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In-form jumps jockey Tom Ryan, who rode three winners at Oakbank last Sunday, has the ride on Double Bluff.
Instigator, a stablemate of Double Bluff, is listed as a runner in the Harry D Young but Purcell said the seven-year-old will be scratched to be saved for the Galleywood Hurdle at Warrnambool's May Racing Carnival.
"We'll save Instigator for the Galleywood," Purcell said.
"The track is too dry for him at Oakbank he's a lot better horse on rain-affected tracks."
Symon Wilde saddles up Britannicus as one of the rivals to Double Bluff. Wilde's stable apprentice Ronan Short has the ride on Britannicus.
Top jumper Zed Em heads the weights in the $125,000 Great Eastern Steeplechase on the Oakbank program.
Zed Em was just beaten by Yensir in the Von Doussa Steeplechase on Wednesday, the traditional lead in race to the Great Eastern.
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